[CT Birds] Bird Count Results

[Linda & Steve Broker]

CT Birders:

Clay Taylor posed the question below about the highly impressive  
species total on this year's Old Lyme-Saybrook Christmas Bird Count,  
133 count day species.  His comments are in response to compiler  
Barbara Barron's message to OL-CT CBC participants about the results  
of this count.  Barbara noted that one of the best birds found was a  
Black-and-white Warbler in Westbrook.

I've gone to my Excel spreadsheets and pulled out some numbers on  
species totals on past CBCs.  I show the information below Clay's  
message.  It may be of general interest to subscribers to ctbirds.   
Congratulations to Potapaug Audubon Society for such a great effort!

On Jan 12, 2008, at 12:03 AM, Clay Taylor wrote:

> WHAT?????
>
> 133??????
>
> HOLY COW!!!!!!    AWESOME!!!!
>
> Hey, Steve Broker (Official Keeper of the CT CBC Data), is that a  
> record?  If not, what is the CT record, and how does this stack up?
>
> Great job everyone!
>
> Clay
>


The Connecticut Christmas Bird Count:  High Species Totals Since 1950

> The Old Lyme-Saybrook Christmas Bird Count (Potapaug Audubon  
> Society) total of 133 count day species on the 2007-08 CBC shatters  
> this count’s previous record of 129 species, set in 1997-98.  Here  
> are the highest species totals for OL-CT since 1950.  (The numbers  
> below do not include additional species recorded during the count  
> periods.)
>
> CBC Year            Count Day Species
> 2007-08                133
>
>
> 1997-98                129
>
> 1999-2000          127
>
>
> 1971-72                124
>
>
> 2002-03                124
>
>
> 1992-93                123
>
>
> 1994-95                122
>
>
> 2001-02                122
>
>
> 2003-04                122
>
>
> 1974-75                120
>
>
> 2000-01                120
>
>
> The record high species total for Connecticut is 138, set in  
> 1980-81 on the New Haven CBC.  This is the record high species  
> total for all of New England.  Here are New Haven’s best results  
> since 1950:
>
> CBC Year            Count Day Species
> 1980-81                138
>
>
> 1977-78                136
>
>
> 2003-04                135
>
>
> 2007-08                132
>
>
> 2006-07                131
>
>
> 1993-94                130
>
>
> 1995-96            130
>
> During the 1980s, New Haven was challenged for high species count  
> in Connecticut by the Stratford-Milford CBC, particularly when SM- 
> CT recorded 124 count day species in 1985-86 and 117 CD species in  
> 1986-87.  Stratford-Milford also had 118 species in 1992-93.  Over  
> the course of the last two decades, New Haven has led the state in  
> CBC species for 13 years, with species totals ranging from 120 to  
> 135 species.  The New London CBC was tops in the state in 2000-01  
> (121 CD species) and 2005-06 (125 CD species).  The latter is New  
> London’s all-time high count.  Greenwich-Stamford reached 120  
> species in 2005-06, as did Westport in 1977-78 and again in 2001-02.
>
> Returning to Old Lyme-Saybrook, this count circle has kicked it up  
> a notch and now has led the state in species totals 6 times in the  
> last 16 years.  (There was a sharing of the lead with New Haven in  
> 1992-93.)  This year’s total is a strong candidate for high count  
> in New England.  I’ve not yet seen results for Newburyport or  
> Nantucket, two counts that usually are at or near the top.
>
> Interestingly, the Napatree CBC has been held for just 6 years, and  
> the high count prior to this year’s results is 127 species  
> (2005-06), so we can expect some lofty numbers from Napatree in the  
> future.
>
> New Haven just had its best chance in many years to raise the bar  
> significantly with its total of 132 species.  Not everything fell  
> into place, however, with upwards of 16 highly findable species  
> being missed on count day.
>
> Among Connecticut’s six northern counts, Hartford leads with 102  
> species in 1999-2000.  This inland total is equally as remarkable  
> as any of the big numbers recorded along the coast.  Litchfield  
> Hills counted 92 species in 2001-02, and this is another  
> outstanding total.  The five mid-state counts are led by Quinnipiac  
> Valley, with 96 species found in 1998-99.  Woodbury-Roxbury is  
> right behind with 95 species in 2000-01.
>
> I think most would agree that the real challenge on a Christmas  
> Bird Count is to do the best one can in finding and identifying  
> birds.  Ultimately, the competition is with oneself.  We have 18  
> fantastic counts entirely or partly in the state that have  
> established a great tradition of getting us outside, reveling in  
> nature, and censusing birds.  The competition among individual  
> counts is completely friendly (so far as I know) and is of small  
> consequence in the larger scheme of things.  Perhaps it’s a lister  
> type activity, similar to the individual birders’ lists posted on  
> the COA website.
>
> Incidentally, the Connecticut statewide Christmas Bird Count list  
> for the period 1950-51 through 2006-07 stands at 273 count day + 10  
> count week species.  There are a lot of birds out there.
>
> Steve Broker
> Cheshire
>
>
>