Date: 2/14/25 6:26 am From: Kevin Krajcir <kjkrajcir...> Subject: Little Rock and Lonoke Christmas Bird Count 2024 Results
Good afternoon, everyone!
With Christmas Bird Count (CBC) season now past us, I wanted to write to
share the results of the Little Rock and Lonoke counts.
The Little Rock CBC was conducted on December 14th, 2024 by 21 field
birders and 6 feederwatchers (with overlap between the two). These
observers counted 10,307 birds of 88 species over a collective 55 hours and
230 miles. For some, it was their first CBC, and we hope to have them join
in again! Rainy conditions made the morning especially difficult and was
likely to blame for the absence of certain species (e.g., Turkey Vultures
and Sharp-shinned Hawks). Despite these conditions, a record number of
Greater White-fronted Geese (8) and Greater Scaup (3) were found. With
fewer than 10 records throughout the history of this count, 8 Greater
White-fronted Geese (only the 3rd record in this urban count), 2
Blue-winged Teal (4th record), 3 Greater Scaup (3rd record) and 1 Merlin
(5th record) were found.
In Lonoke, 17 field birders gathered for the CBC on December 15th, 2024 to
tally 593,282 individuals of 107 species over a collective 40 hours and 177
miles! Again, less-than-ideal weather in the morning (here, heavy fog) made
for a slow start. Regardless, records of 36 Black-crowned Night Herons (7th
record) and 1 Spotted Towhee (1st ever record) were found. One Bewick’s
Wren was also found, which is exciting today; however, numerous historical
records exist for that species on this count. High counts of Snow Geese
(557,928 individuals, more than three times the previous record), Hooded
Mergansers (96), Winter Wrens (12), and Marsh Wrens (8) were also
noteworthy this year.
Every year is different, things continue to change, and that’s why we keep
counting! If you are interested in participating in either count next
winter, please email me privately and I can add you to my roster of
volunteers who I contact prior to the count dates.
Best,
Kevin Krajcir
Little Rock and Lonoke Compiler
