Christmas Bird Count

The annual Eugene Christmas Bird Count was held on December 30, 2007. Despite some early morning and late afternoon rain, the weather was generally favorable for the 24 teams of birders plus the 59 home counters. The number of species seen was also very good, as 137 species of birds were recorded, with an additional 4 species during count week but missed on count day. There were 108,865 individual birds counted within the count circle on count day, including several species with record-high numbers. In total, it was a very good count with a few nice surprises.

New for the Eugene count were Eurasian Collared-Doves (a species that has rapidly spread across North America) and Baikal Teal. Baikal Teal is an Asian duck very rarely seen in North America except for a few sightings in western Alaska. Sighting a bird in Oregon is quite remarkable. Unfortunately, this bird was shot by a hunter at Fern Ridge Reservoir on the day after count day. It is impossible to know whether this bird is an escaped bird (some people raise exotic waterfowl) or a wild bird gone astray. In any case, it was certainly a surprise and not a species we should expect to see again.

There were some other unusual sightings as well. Trumpeter Swans are always a welcome surprise in the Willamette Valley and loons are not a common sight. A Red-throated Loon was seen on count day and a Pacific Loon on the day after. Two Say’s Phoebes were found this year, a species seen on Eugene’s count in the past but only very rarely. Equally unusual was the appearance of a Townsend’s Solitaire and a Common Yellowthroat.

Many birds have expanded northward in recent years and some of these are becoming more regular here in the valley. Such birds seen on this year’s count are Red-shouldered Hawk (18) and Black Phoebe (8). We also found a few individuals among species we think of as summer residents, such as: Turkey Vulture (a record high of 32), Osprey (1), Tree Swallow (12), and Common Yellowthroat (1). Mountain Chickadee and American Dipper also put in an appearance this year; both are species that are unusual at this low elevation in western Oregon. The species with record high numbers this year are Cackling Goose (33,934), Trumpeter Swan (4), Wild Turkey (200), Clark’s Grebe (4), Turkey Vulture (32), Bald Eagle (36), Cooper’s Hawk (22), Anna’s Hummingbird (87), Black Phoebe (8), Say’s Phoebe (2), Bushtit (975), Marsh Wren (69), and White-throated Sparrow (40).

Species in unusually high, but not record numbers are Gadwall (326), Northern Shoveler (446), Double-crested Cormorant (1,536), White-tailed Kite (28), Long-billed Dowitcher (212), Rock Pigeon (1,111), Mourning Dove (591), Downy Woodpecker (53), Northern Flicker (440), Hutton’s Vireo (14), Western Scrub-jay (888), Tree Swallow (12), Black-capped Chickadee (1,060), Red-breasted Nuthatch (128), White-breasted Nuthatch (36), Brown Creeper (74), Spotted Towhee (530), White-crowned Sparrow (431), and Dark-eyed Junco (4,121). A few species were found in lower than expected numbers: Greater White-fronted Goose (4), Ring-necked Pheasant (14), Mountain Quail (2), Rough-legged Hawk (2), Killdeer (632), Herring Gull (6), Varied Thrush (42), Savannah Sparrow (12).

Birds missed on count day but reported for count week include Baikal Teal, Pacific Loon, Eurasian Collared Dove and Swamp Sparrow. As late afternoon showers began, many of the participants began to gather at the end of the day to share results and have a warm bowl of home-made chili, thanks to Allison Mickel and those who assisted her. We look forward to next year’s count which will be held on Sunday, January 4, 2009.
Dan Gleason

And another question: Who started the Christmas Bird Count in Eugene?

The Eugene Natural History Society started the Eugene Christmas Bird Count in the 1940's and the Audubon Society of Lane County took over sponsorship in the 1980's.

Below find the quick facts covering the CBC.

1.  66th Eugene Christmas Bird Count, 108th National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count.
2.  Weather included rain, snow, wind, sun, sleet, clouds and generally cold. Typical for December in Oregon!
4.  24 teams made up of 118 participants.
5.   59 feeder counters reported results that were added to the results from the Field Teams.
6.  Teams walked 110.75 miles, drove 637.15 miles and spent 230 hours looking for birds.
7.  In addition, a few teams also looked for owls before daylight and spent 24 hours and drove 79 miles owling.
8.  Two local television stations had feature stories on this year's count the evening of the count, and the Register Guard had an article on the front page of the City/Region section the day after the count.
9.  The Chili Feed after the count at the Eugene Garden Club was a huge success with over 80 wet Bird Counters attending and sharing the days results.
10.  The Audubon Society of Lane County sponsors the Eugene CBC and Dick Lamster is the Coordinator. 
11. The rest of the committee is Dan Gleason, Barbara Gleason and Herb Wisner. Allison Mickel makes all the homemade chili and organizes the entire Chili Feed for the event.

Dick Lamster

The Eugene Natural History Society Sings a spirited thank-you to all participants!