Counts scheduled on the same day are listed in alphabetical order.

GRAND ISLAND CBC:  December 17, 2005

As always, people gathered at Tommys on Locust Street at 7 am.

Thanks to all who participated in the 2005 Grand Island Christmas Bird Count. Your expertise, willingness to help, and respect for birdlife is always appreciated.  We identified 62 species and counted about 20,635 birds in the final tally.  This year we had 17 people helping on the count with an additional 6 people counting at their feeders.  Six people counted owls in the evening.  Record numbers were set or tied for 9 species. Notable sightings by area included: a Prairie Falcon and 2 Long-eared Owls at Mormon Island Crane Meadows.  A White-fronted Goose and 2 Red-Breasted Nuthatches at Amick Acres.  A Wilson’s Snipe and 3 Wood Ducks at the GI sewage lagoon/Swift Meats canal. A Saw-whet Owl and a Loggerhead Shrike at the Crane Trust.  A Coot, 2 Black Ducks and a Wood Duck at Pier Park.  A Common Grackle and 8 BrownCreepers were seen at Hall County Park.  33 Eurasian Collared-Doves, a Great-tailed Grackle, 2 Swainson’sHawks, 8 Bluebirds and an American Wigeon were also seen throughout the area. Canada Geese (9967), Mallards (4562), House Sparrows (1678) and Starlings (1242) were the most commonly seen birds on the day of the count.  Recent snows and an extended cold spell may have kept count numbers down somewhat as there was very little open water available in the count circle.  

Eric Volden at ericv_1(at)charter. n e t

KEARNEY CBC:  December 17, 2005

Meet at 8 am at the Chamber of Commerce parking lot.  Potluck lunch at noon at the Nicolson/Rowe
Nature Center.

NORFOLK CBC:  December 17, 2005

15 participants and 12 other helpers
59 species
18,172 total individuals
2 count week

Great Blue Heron  1
Canada Goose  1504
Cackling Goose  1
Mallard  119
Northern Pintail  2
American Wigeon  1
Lesser Scaup  2
Common Goldeneye  1
Common Merganser  1
Bald Eagle  (8 adult, 1 immature)  9
Northern Harrier  2
Cooper's Hawk  2
Sharp-shinned Hawk  2
Northern Goshawk  1
   Accipiter species  2
Red-tailed Hawk  49
Rough-legged Hawk  5
American Kestrel  11
Merlin  4
Prarie Falcon  1
   Hawk species  1
Ring-necked Pheasant  168
Wild Turkey  7
Northern Bobwhite  16
Common Snipe  1
Rock Dove  395
Eurasian Collared Dove  1
Mourning Dove  2
Eastern Screech Owl  1
Great Horned Owl  4
Barred Owl  1
Long Eared Owl  3
Belted Kingfisher  2
Red Bellied Woodpecker  27
Downy Woodpecker  31
Hairy Woodpecker  10
Northern Flicker  16
Blue Jay  47
American Crow  119
Black Capped Chickadee  54
Red Breasted Nuthatch  2
White Breasted Nuthatch  40
Brown Creeper  1
Winter Wren  1
American Robin  6
Northern Shrike  2
European Starling  13,484
Northern Cardinal  70
Spotted Towhee  1
American Tree Sparrow  220
    Song Sparrow  cw
Harris Sparrow  2
Dark-eyed Junco  363
    Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)  1
Red-winged Blackbird  26
Western Meadowlark  16
Rusty Blackbird  3
Common Grackle  1
Brown Headed Cowbird  3
Purple Finch  30
House Finch  42
American Goldfinch  191
House Sparrow  1015
    Pied-billed Grebe  cw

Birds not sighted this year during Count Week:
    Black Billed Magpie
    Horned Larks
    Cedar Waxwings
    Eastern Bluebirds

Duane Wolf, (402) 841-0130

OMAHA CBC:  December 17, 2005

The Omaha CBC, is centered on the Base Lake in Bellevue and extends into
Lake Manawa and down towards Plattsmouth and Glenwood.

We had a fairly cold, but clear, day with mostly frozen water.  Counted up
54 species plus 2 for count week.  Nothing too unusual, but we did have a
Hermit Thrush and 2 Pileated Woodpeckers.  Thirty-six counters in Fontenelle
Forest, Bellevue, and Plattsmouth in NE, Lake Manawa and south towards Glenwood
in Iowa.

3800    Canada Geese
  37    Mallards
  30    Green-winged Teal
   2    Ring-necked Ducks
  36    Common Goldeneye
 107    Common Mergansers
  24    Bald Eagles
   1    Northern Harrier
   3    Sharp-shinned Hawks
   2    Cooper's Hawks
  84    Red-tailed Hawks
  10    American Kestrels
 178    Wild Turkeys
 831    Rock Pigeons
  27    Mourning Doves
   3    Eastern Screech-Owls
   3    Great Horned Owls
  12    Barred Owls
   1    Belted Kingfisher
  49    Red-headed Woodpeckers
 123    Red-bellied Woodpeckers
   1    Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
 113    Downy Woodpeckers
  27    Hairy Woodpeckers
  74    Yellow-shafted Northern Flickers
   2    Pileated Woodpeckers
 137    Blue Jays
  94    American Crows
 426    Black-capped Chickadees
  41    Tufted Titmouses (titmice?)
   3    Red-breasted Nuthatches
 209    White-breasted Nuthatches
   7    Brown Creepers
   5    Carolina Wrens
   1    Winter Wren
  23    Golden-crowned Kinglets
  52    Eastern Bluebirds
   1    Hermit Thrush
  53    American Robins
 106    Cedar Waxwings
3504    European Starlings
 168    Northern Cardinals
   1    Eastern Towhee
 149    American Tree Sparrows
  10    Song Sparrows
   4    White-throated Sparrows
  14    Harris's Sparrows
 896    Dark-eyed Juncos (Slate)
   1    Red-winged Blackbird
  45    Meadowlark species
  cw    Brown-headed Cowbird
   1    Purple Finch
  95    House Finches
  cw    Pine Siskin
 215    American Goldfinches
 646    House Sparrows

12,487    Total individuals
    54    Total species

Betty Grenon
Bellevue - Compiler
(402)731-2383, grenon925(at)aol.c o m

SCOTTSBLUFF CBC:  December 17, 2005

I think we had a very successful day!!  We ended with 61 species (including the
meadowlark species and Chukar) on count day and 4 more during count week.  Our
average for the past 51 years is 45.8 species, although we have had over 70 the
last couple of years.  There was much less open water this year than we've been
accustomed to recently.  We had 31,878 individuals.  The two new species--Varied
Thrush and White-winged Dove--were especially nice additions!!!
Low numbers of A. Crow and Black-capped Chickadee are troublesome--are we still
seeing West Nile problems?

Cackling Goose  27  (high)
Canada Goose  14644 (2nd highest ever)
Wood Duck  1
American Wigeon  120
Mallard  12826
N. Shoveler  5
N. Pintail  14
Green-winged Teal  9
Canvasback  1
Ring-necked Duck  8
Lesser Scaup  4
C. Goldeneye  68
Common Merganser  1
Ring-necked Pheasant   9
Wild Turkey  110
Chukar  1  (1st since 1978)
N. Bobwhite  Count Week
Great Blue Heron  1
Bald Eagle  adult 7, immature 7
N. Harrier 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk  2
Accipiter sp. 2
Red-tailed Hawk  11
Rough-legged Hawk  1
Buteo sp.  1
A. Kestrel  30
Merlin  1
A. Coot  10
Killdeer 2
Wilson's Snipe  1
Rock Pigeon  304
Eurasian Collared-Dove  50 (High)
White-winged Dove  (1st)
Great Horned Owl  1
Belted Kingfisher  4
Downy Woodpecker  8
Hairy Woodpecker  Count Week
N. Flicker  37  (2 red-shafted, 1 yellow-shafted, 4 orange-shafted, 30 unknown)
N. Shrike  4
Blue Jay  64
Black-billed Magpie  34
A. Crow  3  (lowest since 1968)
Horned Lark  186
Black-capped Chickadee  12  (2nd lowest ever)
Red-breasted Nuthatch  5
White-breastedNuthatch  1
Pygmy Nuthatch  Count Week
Brown Creeper  Count Week
Marsh Wren  1
Golden-crowned Kinglet  2  (1st since 1993)
Townsend's Solitaire  17
A. Robin  380
Varied Thrush  1  (1st)
E. Starling  997
A. Tree Sparrow  92
Song Sparrow  12
Harris's Sparrow  1
White-crowned Sparrow  162  (high)
Dark-eyed Junco  463 (high) (80 Oregon, 12 Pink-sided, 32 Slate-colored, 339 unknown)
N. Cardinal  1
Red-winged Blackbird  162
Yellow-headed Blackbird  1
meadowlark species  3
House Finch  348 (high)
Pine Siskin  162
A. Goldfinch  85
House Sparrow  348

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!

Alice Kenitz
Gering
(308)436-2959, akenitz(at)prairieweb.c o m

SEWARD/BRANCHED OAK LAKE CBC:  December 17, 2005

Our circle includes all of Branched Oak Lake (we like to have a minimum of three parties work Branched Oak), most of Twin Lakes, the west end of Pawnee Lake, all of Meadowlark Lake WMA, two other WMAs
and lots of good road driving with bridges over creeks and wooded areas.  Last year we tallied 76 species not counting 5 count week birds missed on the day of the count.  We have had as many as 88 species on a single count and have seen 126 species in our 12-year history.  The Branched Oak Lake area and Twin Lakes have lots of potential and that is where we can always use help.  Twin Lakes is closed to the public during the fall and therefore is always exciting to cover (in 2000 I had a Bohemian waxwing there during count week). Most years there is still open water and therefore plenty of waterfowl in the area at both Twin Lakes and Branched Oak Lake.  We will meet at the marina on the north side of Branched Oak Lake
at 7 AM (Saturday, Dec 17) to divide up territories.  It is really helpful to know if someone is planning to help so I can divide up the territories ahead of time to maximize our effort.  Please let me know
your preference, and I will try and assign you that area. If you work the larger lakes, you should have a spotting scope.

Joe Gubanyi
Concordia University
(402)643-7316, jgubanyi(at)seward.cune.e d u
 

The Seward-Branched Oak Lake CBC was held on Saturday, December 17.  We
ended up tallying 60 species.  A summary of our sightings includes the
following:

1. waterfowl were near record lows in total count and number of species
(no surprise given the weather since Thanksgiving)

2. 11 sharp-shinned hawks was the highest in our 13-year history

3. a single prairie falcon was only the second seen in our 13-year
history

4. northern bobwhite was almost missed for the first time except for two
(new low count) seen at a feeder in the country

5. Eurasian collared doves (5) were seen for the second time (last year
was the first)

6. 5 red-shafted flickers were seen (previous high was 1)

7. 14 black-capped chickadees remain well below the 13-year average
(134) for the third year in a row; personally, I think the cause of the
black-capped chickadee decline is not because of the West Nile virus
because they remain common in the Missouri Valley

8. 2 brown creepers were a 13-year low

9. 80 eastern bluebirds were a 13-year high

10. a single mockingbird was only the second seen in 13 years

Count totals follow my signature.

Joseph Gubanyi
Concordia University
800 North Columbia
Seward, NE 68434
(402) 643-7316
Joseph.Gubanyi(at)cune.e d u

Ross' Goose   4
Canada Goose  432
Cackling Goose  100
Mallard   13
Bald Eagle   1
Northern Harrier  1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 11
Cooper's Hawk  3
Accipiter sp.  4
Red-tailed Hawk  51
Rough-legged Hawk  3
Buteo sp.   2
American Kestrel  8
Merlin   2
Prairie Falcon  1
hawk species  1
Ring-necked Pheasant 15
Northern Bobwhite  2
Rock Dove   306
Mourning Dove  7
Eurasian Collared Dove 5
Eastern Screech Owl 4
Great Horned Owl  10
Barred Owl   3
Long-eared Owl  9
Belted Kingfisher  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 60
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker-1
Downy Woodpecker  60
Hairy Woodpecker  7
yellow-shafted flicker 48
red-shafted flicker 5
Northern Flicker(race?) 13
Northern Shrike  4
Horned Lark   37
Blue Jay   122
Black-billed Magpie 2
American Crow  476
Black-capped Chickadee 14
Red-breasted Nuthatch 8
White-breasted Nuthatch 69
Brown Creeper  2
Winter Wren   1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 10
Eastern Bluebird  80
American Robin  1902
Mockingbird   1
Cedar Waxwing  89
Starling   2287
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Northern Cardinal  88
Spotted Towhee  1
American Tree Sparrow 239
Fox Sparrow   3
Song Sparrow  16
Harris' Sparrow  47
Sparrow sp.   23
slate-colored junco 354
Oregon junco  9
Dark-eyed Junco (race?) 57
Red-winged Blackbird 22
Meadowlark species 34
Rusty Blackbird  12
blackbird sp.  22
Purple Finch  20
House Finch   49
Pine Siskin   12
American Goldfinch 296
House Sparrow  123

Total Individuals  7734
Total Species  60

LINCOLN CBC:  December 18, 2005

Rick Eades recruited 20 field observers and 8 feeder watchers who counted 59
species and 11,926 individuals.  Thomas Labedz credits Joe Gubanyi with being
able to find Hermit Thrushes.  Their group also found 2 Fox Sparrows and 3
Yellow-rumped Warblers at Conestoga Lake.  Gertrude Wood spotted an Adult
Bald Eagle at Capitol Beach Saline Wetlands, while participating in her 50th
CBC!

Greater White-fronted Goose, 1
Snow Goose, 1 (count week)
Canada Goose, 3,291
American Wigeon, 2
Mallard, 573
Blue-winged Teal, 6
American Green-winged Teal, 7
Common Goldeneye, 9
Hooded Merganser, 1
Ring-necked Pheasant, 17
Great Blue Heron, 12
Bald Eagle, 3
Northern Harrier, 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk, 3
Cooper's Hawk, 4
Accipiter sp., 2
Red-tailed Hawk, 24
Rough-legged Hawk, 4
American Kestrel, 3
Killdeer, 1
Rock Pigeon, 1,286
Mourning Dove, 95
Eastern Screech-Owl, 3
Great Horned Owl, 12
Barred Owl, 2
  Owl sp., 1
Belted Kingfisher, 6
Red-headed Woodpecker, 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker, 56
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 1
Downy Woodpecker, 53
Hairy Woodpecker, 7
Northern Flicker, 8
   Yellow-shafted, 5
Blue Jay, 118
American Crow, 214
Black-capped Chickadee, 56
Red-breasted Nuthatch, 8
White-breasted Nuthatch, 64
Brown Creeper, 19
Carolina Wren, 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet, 34
Eastern Bluebird, 27
Hermit Thrush, 5
American Robin, 247
European Starling, 3,593
Cedar Waxwing, 5
Yellow-rumped Warbler, 3
Spotted Towhee, 2
American Tree Sparrow, 271
Fox Sparrow, 2
Song Sparrow, 3
White-throated Sparrow, 8
Harris's Sparrow, 15
Dark-eyed Junco, 217
   Slate-colored, 284
   Oregon, 2
Northern Cardinal, 116
Common Grackle, 1
Purple Finch, 14
House Finch, 280
Pine Siskin, 2
American Goldfinch, 314
House Sparrow, 496

Linda R. Brown, Compiler
Lincoln, NE

AMES CBC:  December 29, 2005

The first ever Ames Christmas Bird Count was held on Dec. 29.  Despite
dense fog, making it difficult to see birds or anything else, and an
embarrassing lack of organization on the part of the organizers, 16
intrepid birders found 48 species.  Best birds were probably the Hermit
Thrush and the Red Crossbills.

The count circle, which is bisected by the Platte River, includes land
in both Dodge and Saunders Counties.  Areas covered included Camp
Calvin Crest, Hormel Park and the Fremont Lakes SRA.

Thanks to all who helped, and we hope to see you back next year.

Don and Janis Paseka
Ames  NE
paseka(at)tvsonline. n e t
 

Snow Goose  2
Canada Goose  223
Mallard  3820
Redhead 1
Lesser Scaup 1
Common Merganser  1
Ring-necked Pheasant  19
Wild Turkey  67
Northern Bobwhite  1
Great Blue Heron  4
Bald Eagle  2
Red-tailed Hawk  23
Rough-legged Hawk  1
American Kestrel  6
large falcon sp.  1
Rock Pigeon  111
Mourning Dove  cw
Eastern Screech-Owl  1
Great Horned Owl  2
Belted Kingfisher  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  21
Downy Woodpecker  26
Hairy Woodpecker  8
Northern Flicker  24
Blue Jay  5
American Crow  21
Horned Lark  39
Black-capped Chickadee  32
White-breasted Nuthatch  24
Brown Creeper  5
Golden-crowned Kinglet  6
Eastern Bluebird  6
HERMIT THRUSH  1
American Robin  47
European Starling  4996
Cedar Waxwing  12
American Tree Sparrow  37
Song Sparrow  7
White-throated Sparrow  3
Harris' Sparrow  cw
Dark-eyed Junco  138
Lapland Longspur  4894
Northern Cardinal  39
Meadowlark sp.  5
Purple Finch  2
House Finch  5
RED CROSSBILL  3
American Goldfinch  19
House Sparrow  117

PONCA CBC:  December 30, 2005

Ponca State Park/Loess Hills Audubon hosted its 3rd Annual
Christmas Bird Count on Friday, December 30th.  A 7.5 mile radius of the park
was covered including public areas such as Buckskin Hills, Powder Creek,
Elk Point Bend, and others. The count began at 6:15 am and ended at 4:30 pm.

Ten birders participated in the 3rd annual (first official) Ponca State Park CBC. Strong northwest wind and heavy overcast sky limited bird activity and visibility, but 46 species were counted for the day. An experienced owling party tallied 0 species in 1.5 hours of pre-dawn calling owing to the windy conditions (3, in '04).

Highlights include: Golden Eagle (1), Black-billed Magpie (1), Long-eared Owl (2), Lapland Longspur (125), Red-headed Woodpecker (2) and Northern Shrike (2).  Rough-legged Hawks, totaling 15, more than doubled last year's total.

As previously, all participants wish to thank Park Superintendent Jeff Fields and staff for hosting another enjoyable count and providing lunch to sustain us through the afternoon.

67  Canada Geese
15  Gadwalls
508 Mallards
25 Northern Pintails
3  Common Goldeneyes
8  Common Mergansers
8  Ring-necked Pheasants
6  Wild Turkeys
18 Bald Eagles
7  Northern Harriers
24 Red-tailed Hawks
15 Rough-legged Hawks
1  immature Golden Eagle
9  American Kestrels
27 Rock Pigeons
3  Mourning Doves
1  BARRED OWL
2  Long-eared Owls
1  Belted Kingfisher
2  RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS
21 Red-bellied Woodpeckers
17 Downy Woodpeckers
4  Hairy Woodpeckers
17 Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flickers
2  Northern Shrikes
54 Blue Jays
1  Black-billed Magpie
222 American Crows
327 Horned Larks
82  Black-capped Chickadees
53  White-breasted Nuthatches
1   Brown Creeper
1   Winter Wren
21  EASTERN BLUEBIRDS
56  American Robins
1170 European Starlings
86  Cedar Waxwings
45  American Tree Sparrows
100 Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Juncos
125 Lapland Longspurs
45  Northern Cardinals
2   Red-winged Blackbirds
9   Purple Finches
52  House Finches
53  American Goldfinches
111 House Sparrows

Total individuals:  3427
Total species:  46

(unusual species in bold type)

Bill Huser
140 Oakmont Drive
South Sioux City, NE  68776
(402)494-1657

Jeff Fields
Superintendent
Ponca State Park
88090 Spur 26E
Ponca, NE 68770
(402)755-2284

CALAMUS CBC:  December 31, 2005

7 participants
56 species plus 2 count week (cw)
13,548 total individuals

Canada Goose  2240
Cackling Goose  2
Trumpeter Swan  cw
Mallard  4952
Gadwall  10
Green-winged Teal  1
Common Goldeneye  570
Common Merganser  51
Ruddy Duck  1
Bufflehead  1
Bald Eagle (adult)  26
Bald Eagle (immature)  26
Northern Harrier  5
Sharp-shinned Hawk  2
Cooper's Hawk  1
Red-tailed Hawk  21
Rough-legged Hawk  6
American Kestrel  4
Prairie Falcon  1
Ring-necked Pheasant  2
Sharp-tailed Grouse  1
Greater Prairie-Chicken  51
Wild Turkey  16
Ring-billed Gull  8
Herring Gull  2
Rock Pigeon  94
Eurasian Collared-Dove  29
Great Horned Owl  2
Belted Kingfisher  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
Downy Woodpecker  10
Hairy Woodpecker  5
Northern Flicker (yellow-shafted)  5
Northern Flicker  9
Northern Shrike  7
Blue Jay  5
American Crow  2671
Horned Lark  82
Black-capped Chickadee  7
White-breasted Nuthatch  4
Marsh Wren  2
Eastern Bluebird  9
Townsend's Solitaire  1
American Robin  444
European Starling  1296
Cedar Waxwing  67
American Tree Sparrow  92
Song Sparrow  2
Harris Sparrow  6
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)  3
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)  4
Dark-eyed Junco  44
Lapland Longspur  50
Snow Bunting  2
Northern Cardinal  5
Red-winged Blackbird  26
blackbird species  200
Western Meadowlark  26
Great-tailed Grackle  cw
House Finch  48
Pine Siskin  6
American Goldfinch  269
House Sparrow  12
 

Dave Heidt, (402)371-3412, daveh(at)northeastcollege. c o m

CRAWFORD CBC: December 31, 2005

We met at 7:30 AM in the parking lot across from the Veterinary Hospital at Fort Robinson.
If anyone needs more details, feel free to contact me at (307)234-7455 or bwalgren(at)coffey.c o m
Thanks again to all that participated in the count!

The birding started off a bit slowly with the cool temperatures, but later in the morning activity increased with the warmer temperatures.  We had a total of 38 species plus 2 count week species.  A total of 1,580 individual birds were counted.  We had count highs for Wild Turkey, Horned Larks, and unfortunately European Starlings.  New for the count this year was a Spotted Towhee.  Standing water was frozen so we had very few waterfowl - 6 Mallards.

Below are the results, I have the results of all 12 counts in Excel Spreadsheet form if anyone is interested.

Mallard   6
Bald Eagle, Adult   4
Northern Harrier   1
Red-tailed Hawk   5
Rough-legged Hawk   8
Golden Eagle, Adult   cw
American Kestrel   4
Merlin   1
Prairie Falcon   1
Ring-necked Pheasant   17
Wild Turkey   139
Northern Bobwhite   5
Rock Pigeon   74
Mourning Dove   1
Eurasian Collared-Dove   16
Eastern Screech-Owl   1
Great Horned Owl   cw
Downy Woodpecker   7
Hairy Woodpecker   6
Northern Flicker, form unknown   4
Northern Flicker, Yellow-shafted   1
Horned Lark   187
Blue Jay   5
Black-billed Magpie   35
American Crow   78
Black-capped Chickadee   79
Nuthatch species   1
White-breasted Nuthatch   33
Pygmy Nuthatch   27
Townsend's Solitare   7
American Robin   5
Northern Shrike   4
European Starling   295
Spotted Towhee   1
American Tree Sparrow   280
Song Sparrow   4
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)   3
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)   13
Dark-eyed Junco (Pink-sided)   2
Dark-eyed Junco (unknown)   39
Lapland Longspur   5
House Finch   1
Red Crossbill   2
American Goldfinch   64
House Sparrow   109

Good Birding in '06!

Bruce and Donna Walgren
Casper, WY
bwalgren(at)coffey.c o m

DeSOTO/BOYER CHUTE CBC: December 31, 2005

The count is located in the Missouri River valley between Omaha, Ne and Missouri Valley, Ia.
The CBC was held under near ideal weather conditions, partly cloudy skies with a light wind and temperatures reaching mid-forties. We had 15 participants, 8 of which were at  DeSoto NWR. The Snowy Owl was not seen. We recorded 57 species and 9897 individuals.

Highlights were 3 new records set:
Eastern Bluebird 95 (old record 86)
Song Sparrow 23 (14)
Purple Finch 75 (34)

We had 3 second place records:
Red-tailed Hawk 98 (105)
Black-capped Chickadee 214 (405)
White-breasted Nuthatch 108 (113)

We also had 2 Long-earred Owls.

Here is the final tally.

Species and number:

Snow Goose  9
Ross' Goose  1
Canada Goose  1670
Cackling Goose  2
Mallard  2000
Common Goldeneye  193
Common Merganser  72
Ruddy Duck  2
Bald Eagle (18 AD.  10 JV.)  28
Northern Harrier  3
Sharp-shinned Hawk  6
Cooper's Hawk  1
Red-tailed hawk  98
Rough-legged Hawk  5
American Kestrel  24
Ring-necked Pheasant  9
Wild Turkey  371
Northern Bobwhite  2
Rock Pigeon  345
Screech Owl  2
Great-horned Owl  2
Barred Owl  6
Long-eared Owl  2
Belted Kingfisher  4
Red-headed Woodpecker  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  94
Downy Woodpecker  114
Hairy Woodpecker  16
Northern Flicker Y-shaft  141
Northern Flicker R-shaft  1
Blue jay  143
American Crow  131
Horned Lark  1
Black-capped Chickadee  214
Tufted Titmouse  5
Red-breasted Nuthatch  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  108
Brown Creeper  5
Carolina Wren  2
Winter Wren  2
Golden-crowned Kinglet  6
Eastern Bluebird  95
American Robin  90
European Starling  1853
Cedar Waxwing  162
Eastern Towhee  2
American Tree Sparrow  384
Song Sparrow  23
White-Throated Sparrow  Countweek
Harris Sparrow  15
Dark-eyed Junco  428
Oregon D-E Junco  1
Northern Cardinal  127
Red-winged Blackbird  380
Meadowlark Species  19
Brown-headed Cowbird  1
Purple Finch  75
House Finch  9
American Goldfinch  132
House Sparrow  256
wren species  1
Owl species  1

Total Species  57
Total Individuals  9897

Jerry Toll
jertol(at)radiks.n e t
Omaha NE
Compiler, Bob Barry, biologist, DeSoto NWR
bob_barry(at)fws.g o v

SIOUX COUNTY CBC:  January 01, 2006

Here are the final tallies from the Harrison/Sioux Co. count.  A total of
four of us participated on New Years Day in marginal weather conditions
(light rain in the AM and increasing winds in the afternoon).  A total of
780 individuals representing 23 species were seen, although I'm certain that
if we'd have had more coverage (and a little better weather) the numbers
would have been much better.  The results were the following:

Rough-legged Hawk   5
Prairie Falcon   1
Pigeon   2
Euras. Collared Dove   8
Grt. Horned Owl   1
Hairy Woodpecker   3
Downy Woodpecker   4
Horned Lark   64
Townsend's Solitaire   27
Amer. Robin   61
Blk-capped Chickadee   26
Pygmy Nuthatch   104
White-brst'd Nuthatch **   6
Red-brst'd Nuthatch   5
No. Shrike   3
Amer. Crow   25
Starling   22
Juncos total:   148
  (unkn)   116
  Pink-sided Junco   2
  Wht-winged Junco   19
  Oregon Junco   3
  Slate-colored Junco   8
Amer. Tree Sparrow   24
Red Crossbill   85
Pine Siskin   50
Amer. Goldfinch   1
Hs. Sparrow   102

Note 1:  first time in 5 years of doing this count that Red-tailed Hawk and
Clark's Nutcracker were missed.

** Note 2:  All of the WB Nuthatches that were clearly identified on this
count (n = 8), were of the Great Basin (tennuisima) race, while all of the
24 WB Nuthatches we saw the day before in Crawford (just 45 miles to the
east) were the Eastern (carolinensis) race.  All of the Great Basin
Nuthatches were seen in pine forest habitat and all of the Eastern birds
were seen in deciduous forest.  So are these the same birds; certainly
different taxa even if not different species (yet).

Hope that you all will think about joining us next year to patrol this
understudied area in greater detail.

Elliott Bedows,

Bellevue

BEAVER VALLEY CBC (near Petersburg in Boone Co.):  January 02, 2006

This year we had 11 observers to do the count and one feeder watcher.
The most help we've ever had.  We went out on Jan. 2 - a gray, chilly
day, with a light breeze - and came up with 37 species.
The best birds of the day were Northern Goshawk,  Great-tailed Grackle, and
Belted Kingfisher.
The list is as follows - it includes the feeder watcher:

Mallard - 184
Ring-necked Pheasant - 12
Greater Prairie Chicken - 36
Bald Eagle - 12
Northern Harrier - 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Red-tailed Hawk - 16 (including 2 Harlans)
Rough-legged hawk - 3
Am. Kestrel - 2
No. Goshawk - 1
Rock Pigeon - 10
GH Owl - 1
Belted Kingfisher - 1
House Finch - 53
Pine Siskin - 2
Am. Goldfinch - 104
House Sparrow - 84
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 4
Downy Woodpecker - 13
Hairy Woodpecker - 1
No. Flicker - 4
Northern Shrike - 1
Shrike sp. - 1
Blue Jay - 5
Am. Crow - 16
Horned lark - 4
BC Chickadee - 5
WB Nuthatch - 15
GC Kinglet - 1
Robin - 37
Starling - 231
Am Tree Sparrow - 158
Song Sparrow - 1
DE Junco - 58
No. Cardinal - 4
RW Blackbird - 714
Great-Tailed Grackle - 10
L. Longspurs - 7

Thanks to all who helped us that day. We really appreciated the help.

Don and Colleen Noecker
Albion in Boone Co.
dcnoecker(at)cablene.c o m
(402)395-6250

LAKE McCONAUGHY CBC:  January 02, 2006

This is always a great count (we've topped 100 species 5 of the last
6 years).

The Lake McConaughy CBC, with the help of great weather and record
participation (21 field observers and 14 feeder watchers), tallied a
respectable 99 species. Highlights included 22 species of waterfowl,
Horned Grebe, all of the expected raptors except Merlin, 8 species of
gulls (inc. Bonaparte's and both black-backed gulls), Eastern and
Mountain Bluebirds, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Lincoln's Sparrow, Snow
Bunting, and Cassin's Finch.  Big misses in the 15-year count were
Western Grebe (first time missed), Merlin (3rd time missed),
Sharp-tailed Grouse, American Coot (3rd time missed), and Common Grackle.

Steve

Stephen J. Dinsmore
Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
339 Science II, Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50014
515-294-1348 (office)
cootjr(at)iastate.e d u
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~cootjr/

Christmas Bird Counts can also ve viewed at http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc