Date: 1/2/26 9:02 am From: Jack Swatt via CTBirds <ctbirds...> Subject: [CT Birds] Preliminary Results of the 36th Bristol Christmas Bird Count
Happy New Year, everyone, I'm still waiting for a few more reports to come in, but so far the preliminary results of the 36th Bristol Christmas Bird Count are confirming that this year's bird count was much lower than usual. Our 9 year average of total birds (since we restarted the count in 2016) is 10,137 and so far we sit at 6,350. The snowstorm the day before the count really limited our access to some of the locations that teams regularly survey, and I think the prolonged cold throughout December pushed most half-hardy birds and waterfowl further south. Unfortunately, I think the snow also pushed the Lark Sparrow, seen at Farmington Meadows since Nov.22, further south as well. Since it was seen on the morning of December 25th and 26th (before the snowstorm) it will be added as a new bird to our species list as a count week species. Initially I feared the sparrow may have fallen victim to one of the accipiters that frequently hunt the area, but there is hope that "our bird" reappeared in Westport yesterday https://ebird.org/checklist/S291745735. Dennis Johnston, who originally found the Lark Sparrow, along with Eric Lawson and Mike Krampitz searched vigilantly for the sparrow at Farmington Meadows a couple of times on count day, and their efforts were rewarded with a consolation of 50 Horned Lark and 2 Snow Buntings which are also both new species to our count list. While waterfowl were scarce, Dennis, Eric and Mike also turned up a Northern Pintail drake, which is only the 5th time one has been counted over the history of the Bristol count. Hawks, Owls and Falcons made a good showing with record highs for Red-shouldered Hawk and Barred Owl, record ties for Cooper's Hawk and Peregrine Falcon, with Sharp-shinned and Red-tailed Hawk coming close to the record highs. Maybe some more records of those species on the late entries might push them up to the record. Most other species were nowhere near the records but it's worth mentioning that a single Yellow-rumped Warbler found by myself, Mike Aronson and Siobhan Prout in Southington was the third record for our count. Merlin also heard a White-crowned Sparrow at the same location but none of us could locate that hidden gem.
Hoping for a warmer December in 2026!
Jack Swatt
Lempster, NH
Colchester, CT
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