For planning of our upcoming counts, see our Christmas Bird Count page, here.

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2023 CBC Recap

It was a CBC of superlatives this year, as 31 volunteers headed out to contribute to the National Audubon Society’s 124th annual Christmas Bird Count; the 76th for Stillwater sponsored by the Payne County Audubon Society. From our center point on Camp Redlands Rd, birders scoured our 15-mile-diameter count circle from pre-dawn to dusk in an attempt to count every individual of every species on the predetermined day of the count.

Our Halloween hard freeze this year notwithstanding, autumn has been warm and dry, and the 16th dawned bright and clear with the official local temperature topping out at 51F on light winds. Good rains in spring and early summer have left a banquet for wild birds in our fields and forests, with fruits of sugarberry, greenbrier, poison ivy and others hanging heavy. Following months of drought through late summer and autumn, our most difficult issue on count day was that Mother Nature decided it would be fun to rain all day the day before, leaving most of our unpaved roads (which is most of our roads) a slippery muck. Thankfully no one ditched out, and folks were generally able to get where they needed to go to count birds under otherwise excellent conditions.

And the birds did not disappoint. First, the 118 species we found crushed the previous record of 109 set in 2005. There were at least 29 (!) new records set on this CBC. Twenty-one of these were new high counts for various species, the most notable perhaps being 2034 Brown-headed Cowbirds topping the previous record of 1124 set all the way back in 1983. The last time we had a Red Crossbill on the count was 2004, establishing the record of a count of 1. This year we had 39. Black Vulture first appeared on the count in 2019. We had 51 this year. GOLDEN EAGLE and SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER made their first ever appearances on this count, as did a YELLOW WARBLER during the count week (unofficially the 119th species).

Presumably, consistent mild weather helped us find other species we would normally expect to have moved south by now, as the new high counts for Least Sandpiper, House Wren, Marsh Wren, Brown Creeper, Pine Warbler, and Lincoln’s Sparrow might suggest. Conversely, we failed to locate a single Northern Bobwhite, Rough-legged Hawk, Greater Roadrunner, or Pine Siskin. This was the first time we’ve missed these species in at least 20 years; it’s been 32 years since we had a CBC without a Bobwhite quail.

The top 10 most abundant birds in Stillwater on the day of the count were: 1. Brown-headed Cowbird (2034), 2. European Starling (1573), 3. Canada Goose (1483), 4. Ring-billed Gull (1085), 5. Cackling Goose (1032), 6. American Robin (918), 7. Mourning Dove (536), 8. American Crow (482), 9. Dark-eyed Junco (468), and 10. Cedar Waxwing (467). There were 108 other species contributing to the 16,243 individuals reported.

Many thanks to this year’s volunteers Emma Ainsworth, Zoe Protzman, Kennedy Funa,
Haley Amicarelli, Ili Satterfield, Kayleen Sugianto, Nigel Baldwin, Mike Yough, Landon Neumann,
Maria Bleitz, Tucker Taylor, Kelsey Cabral, Alex Harman, Riley Lawson, Mark Miller, Leslie Miller,
Scott Loss, Les Imboden, Susan Taylor, James Cowley, Suzanne Cowley, Michael Reichert,
Hande Acar, Dave Latham, Doug Latham, Erin Latham, Tate Salsbury, Joyce Myers, Elaine Stebler, Damona Doye, and to the count Compiler, Tim O’Connell.

Full report: 2023 Stillwater CBC

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With shockingly calm winds, clear skies, dry roads, and temperatures topping 50 F we could scarcely have asked for better conditions for the 33^rd annual John Couch Sooner Lake CBC. From our center point at the corner of routes 15 and 177 in Noble County, birders scoured our 15-mile-diameter count circle from dawn to dusk to count every individual of every species on Saturday, 30 December as part of the National Audubon Society’s 124^th annual CBC.

Although conditions were great, we had a small group of 7 working to cover the area, and an auto breakdown left us with just 3 active parties for most of the day. Consequently, we managed just 87 species and 8165 individuals. This wasn’t a record low, but it was on the low end of a count for which we expect ~100 species. Waterfowl numbers were generally low, presumably owing to a so-far mild winter in temperate North America. At the time of writing, the Great Lakes are reporting only <1% ice cover, and that is not conducive to pushing many ducks or geese south to our latitude in central Oklahoma. For at least 9 species, the 2023 CBC either tied a record for the lowest total or it was the first year we failed to find a species in a long time. For example – and like the Stillwater CBC on December 16 – we failed to find a single Northern Bobwhite quail. That hasn’t happened since 1998. On the positive side, the 289 reported Western Meadowlarks set a new record well past the 165 reported in 2021. We also racked up 23 Loggerhead Shrikes, coming to close to the record of 27 set all the way back in 1994.

Many thanks to this year’s volunteers Riley Lawson, Les Imboden, Susan Taylor, James Cowley, Suzanne Cowley, John Ternes, and to the count Compiler, Tim O’Connell. We’re also grateful to Mike Yough who birded in the count circle on 31 December and found 11 “count week” birds, i.e., species in the area that missed on the specific day of the Count.

The top 10 most abundant birds reported on the day of the count were: 1. Cackling Goose (1708), 2. Brewer’s Blackbird (679), 3. Ring-billed Gull (622), 4. Red-winged Blackbird (522), 5. European Starling (352), 6. Brown-headed Cowbird (347), 7. Canada Goose (289), 8. Western Meadowlark (289), 9. American Robin (273), and 10. Harris’s Sparrow (233). Mike Yough added Greater White-fronted Goose, Green-winged Teal, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Bonaparte’s Gull, Herring Gull, Least Sandpiper, PACIFIC LOON, Rough-legged Hawk, Northern Shrike, and LeConte’s Sparrow as count week birds.

Full report: John Couch Sooner Lake CBC 2023

2022 CBC Recap

The 75^th annual Stillwater Christmas Bird Count took place on 17 December 2022, with 18 volunteers traveling nearly 400 collective miles in search of every duck, sparrow, and pigeon in our circle centered two miles north of RT. 51 on Redlands Rd. Volunteers reported 6,216 individuals of 106 species on the count!

The top 10 most abundant birds reported were European Starling (1705), Canada Goose (1118), Brewer’s Blackbird (936), meadowlarks (includes Eastern and Western; 846); Ring-billed Gull (818), American Robin (675), Brown-headed Cowbird (603), Cackling Goose (401), Rock Pigeon (365), and American Crow (358).

Highlights included the first ever Black-legged Kittiwake on the count, plus new high counts for Black Vulture (66), Turkey Vulture (7), Bonaparte’s Gull (65), Rock Pigeon (365), and Eurasian Collared-Dove (61). Least Sandpiper (8) tied a record set in 2016. Black Vulture was probably the biggest story: First recorded with a single individual in 2019, we found 14 in 2021 and 66 this year.

Lowlights include the absence of Hermit Thrush (previously reported on 27 counts) and Bewick’s Wren (36 counts). The lone Horned Lark reported ties a record set in 1990.

Many thanks to our volunteers this year: Holly Todaro, Kim Sloggett, Mark Miller, Mike Yough, Scott Loss, Leslie Imboden, Susan Taylor, Jim Cowley, Suzanne Cowley, Dave Latham, Doug Latham, Erin Latham, Elaine Stebler, Damona Doye, Alex Harman, Carrie Joy Pratt, Dave Londe, Jessica Torres, and to Tim O’Connell who compiled the data.

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The 32^nd annual John Couch Sooner Lake Christmas Bird Count took place on 26 December 2022, with 9 volunteers braving frigid wind chills in search of every gull, hawk, and blackbird in our circle centered at the intersection of routes 177 and 15 in Noble County. This was our first count in memory of this CBC’s founder and 30-year stalwart leader John Couch, who died in June 2022.

Volunteers reported 23,593 individuals of 101 species on the count!

The top 10 most abundant birds reported were Cackling Goose (4197), Red-winged Blackbird (4193), Canada Goose (3591), Common Goldeneye (1496), Mallard (1349),
meadowlarks (includes Eastern and Western; 839), European Starling (717), American Coot (611), unidentified gulls (550), and unidentified blackbirds (525).

Great finds this year were a count week White-winged Scoter, 3 Long-tailed Ducks, 11 Tundra Swans, and 3 Trumpeter Swans. We set new high records for Ross’s Goose (34), Common Merganser (106), Wilson’s Snipe (7), and Lesser Black-backed Gull (2).

Many thanks to our volunteers this year: Jess Torres, Les Imboden, Mike Yough, Tim O’Connell (compiler), Lucas Bobay, Elaine Stebler, Lelia Heading, Courtney Duchardt, and Jake Hennig.

Complete Count Results Below:

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2021 Stillwater CBC Results

On Saturday 19 December 2021, the PCAS took part in the 121^st annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count. This was the 73rd consecutive count for the Stillwater CBC ci

After such a warm week before, the steady north wind – and its chill that felt as cold as 6F – was a rather unfortunate development for birders participating in the 74^th annual Stillwater Christmas Bird Count on December 18^th. Nonetheless, 28 brave souls spent their Saturday outside, doing their best to kick up every chickadee, sparrow, and wren that was hunkered down across our 177 mi² count circle. 

Their efforts paid off: collectively we found 99 different species of birds! We set new or tied record highs for Northern Shoveler (125), Black Vulture (14), Bald Eagle (6), and Rock Pigeon (297).  New to the count this year was a single Black Scoter duck found off Ski Point at Lake Carl Blackwell. 

Some species like Carolina Chickadee were observed at a rate fairly typical of our count. Others like Harris’s Sparrow and American Goldfinch were less abundant than expected, but within or close to the range of variability established over decades in our area. Eastern Bluebird, however, remains comparatively very rare in central Oklahoma following the massive die-off of this species during the intense cold spell of February 2021. The 39 bluebirds we found represent just 21% of the long-term average expected, and well below even the standard deviation of that average.

Our top 10 most abundant species for 2021 were: 1) Canada Goose – 1166, 2) Ring-billed Gull – 1118, 3) European Starling – 1072, 4) Brewer’s Blackbird – 847, 5) American Robin – 740, 6) Dark-eyed Junco – 549, 7) American Crow – 437, 8) Cackling Goose – 409, 9) Mallard – 320, and 10) Rock Pigeon – 297. The complete list is included in the attached report. (Black Scoter will not appear on this list until the record is confirmed by Regional Editors.)

Abundant thanks are due to our section leaders for different areas of the count: Jessica Torres, Eric Duell, Les Imboden, Tim O’Connell, Scott Loss, David Latham, Caitlin Laughlin, Mike Yough, Elaine Stebler, and Kent Andersson. Additional contributors this year included Jim Cowley, Suz Cowley, Susan Taylor, Jennifer Grindstaff, Linnea Andersson, Dave Londe, Samantha Cady, Madison Washburn, Damona Doye, Julie Koch, Chip Leslie, Mary Leslie, Melissa Kennedy, James Kowaleski, Tori Haggard, Doug Latham, and Erin Latham.

Next up for the PCAS? The 31st annual Sooner Lake CBC on January 2nd!

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2020 Stillwater CBC Results

On Saturday 19 December, the PCAS took part in the 121st annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count. This was the 73rd consecutive count for the Stillwater CBC circle. We had some challenges in organizing and little opportunity to engage with beginners this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but we ended up with 18 parties and 32 participants. Those 32 volunteers invested a collective 98 hours and by foot, bicycle, and car traveled 570 miles to pursue every wild feathered thing in our circle. The result? We reported 12,766 individuals of 105 species.

The morning dawned bright and frosty with temps as low as 27(F) but warming to about 50 by late afternoon. Conditions were fine for counting but getting around was a challenge for some. The 3–4″ inch snowfall earlier in the week – now melted – left much of our circle accessed via unpaved section roads a sticky, slippery, soft mass of clay. We set new high count records for 4 species this year with 744 Eastern Meadowlarks, 110 Northern Mockingbirds, 40 American Kestrels, and 14 Black Vultures.

Many boreal and western North American species have moved into central Oklahoma this winter, and we recorded Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pine Siskin, Purple Finch, and Mountain Bluebird on the count. None were found in abundance sufficient to set new records, however. Western Grebe, White-winged Dove, and Merlin were recorded as count week (CW) birds.

All in all another successful CBC is in the books! Many thanks to this year’s participants: Emily Geest, Landon Neumann, Georgia Riggs, Deb Riggs, Pratyaydipta Rudra, Caleb McKinney, Eric LoPresti, Katherine Toll, Courtney Duchardt, Jake Hennig, Kent Andersson, Linnea Andersson, Jennifer Grindstaff, Liz McCullagh, Adelaide McCullagh, Caitlin Laughlin, Allen Coale, Susan Taylor, Les Imboden, Suzanne Cowley, Jim Cowley, Scott Loss, Elaine Stebler, Lelia Heading, Alan Goody, Shona Gambrell, David Leslie, Mary Leslie, Kevin Wilson, Ray Moranz, Eric Duell, and Tim O’Connell.

2020 Stillwater CBC Species List:

IMPORTANT: The National Audubon Society has provided guidance on whether and how CBCs should be conducted during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Most important, it’s okay to cancel/not participate in CBCs this year if it cannot be held with the safety of participants foremost. No one wants or needs our annual bird monitoring to contribute to additional spread of COVID19.

Here at the PCAS, we are going ahead with both the Stillwater and Sooner Lake CBCs. Planning, compiling, etc., will be remote and participants can only travel in vehicles with others in their own quarantine bubble. Masking and social distancing must be observed in the field.

Unfortunately, we generally cannot include any kind of guided field trips for newcomers this year. If you are new to the area, skilled in field identification, and want to participate, then we will work to assign a segment of a count circle that is your responsibility. If you maintain a backyard feeding station or otherwise have access to birds on your own land – and that land is within one of the count circles – then we certainly would welcome any data you could contribute.

It will be especially important to coordinate our activity by expressing your interest in participating to John Couch (Sooner Lake CBC) and Tim O’Connell (Stillwater CBC). There will be an organizational meeting via Zoom on Friday, 11 December, at 6:00 pm.

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Here are some general do’s and don’ts:

1. DO join us for one or both counts.
2. DON’T think you’re not good enough at counting birds to help. The CBC is a great way to get started in birding!
3. Thanks, have fun, be safe, and good birding!

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Our Sooner Lake count circle is centered on the junction of routes 177 and 15, at the southwestern corner of Sooner Lake. Our Stillwater count circle is centered 2 miles north of Rt. 51 on Redlands Rd. All CBCs extend 7.5 miles in all directions from their origin point, so the count area is a circle of 15 miles diameter.

On the preselected day, we count every individual of every species – even starlings and pigeons – within our circle.  To avoid double-counting the same birds, we divide the circle into zones with a leader who will organize the effort in that smaller area.  Here are the 2019 count circles with leaders indicated for each zone:

To submit your count data, use the following form to report the total number of each species you observed in your count area. (If counting from a stationary location such as a backyard, report the largest number of each species you observe at any one time – don’t count the same cardinal on your feeder as a different bird every time you see it.)

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2019 Stillwater and Sooner Lake Christmas Bird Counts

The 120th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Counts took place on Tuesday December 17 (Sooner Lake) and Saturday December 21 (Stillwater). Results of the Sooner Lake CBC will be forthcoming, but the Stillwater CBC results are now available. Read on.

StillwaterCBC2019Results

Twenty-eight volunteers contributed their time and efforts to the 2019 Stillwater Christmas Bird Count hosted by the Payne County Audubon Society on Saturday, December 21. At least 10 parties went out on an overcast and still day with temperatures holding in the 40s. Collectively, the volunteers logged more than 73 hours toward the effort, including 35 miles walked and 364 miles driven to access the 15-mile diameter circle centered on Redlands Rd. east of Lake Carl Blackwell.

Altogether we counted 18,836 individuals of at least 107 different species of birds.

We set new high count records for at least 14 species, with 55 Pied-billed Grebes (previous high 37) 27 Herring Gulls (12), 82 Red-bellied Woodpeckers (76), 115 Northern Flickers (93), 24 Pileated Woodpeckers (13), 38 American Kestrels (37), 11 Eastern Phoebes (6), 9 Brown Creepers (8), 4 Winter Wrens (3), 113 Carolina Wrens (86), 8 Bewick’s Wrens (7), 6 Brown Thrashers (4), 84 Spotted Towhees (37), and 289 Northern Cardinals (279).

This was also the first count for which we found Common Yellowthroat (1) and Black Vulture (1), and only the second time that Orange-crowned Warbler (1), Pine Warbler (1), and Marsh Wren (1) have been detected on the Stillwater CBC.

Thanks to the following volunteers who made this count pretty special: Mike Yough, Caleb McKinney, Emily Geest, Ray Moranz, Helena Noranz, Jay Nabar, Jacob Johnson, Elaine Stebler, Rebecca Bond, David Leslie, Mary Leslie, Eric Duell, David Londe, Keira Kauffman, Jim Cowley, Suz Cowley, Kent Andersson, Jennifer Grindstaff, Linnea Andersson, Mary Towner, James Kowaleski, Deb Hirt, Jess Torres, Dave Latham, Doug Latham, Erin Latham, Tim O’Connell, and Brad Rogers.

Here’s the total species list:

1. 4233    American Robin
2. 1821    Canada Goose
3. 1575    European Starling
4. 1060    Ring-billed Gull
5. 1012    Brewer’s Blackbird
6. 1008    Dark-eyed Junco
7. 770      Cedar Waxwing
8. 749      Mallard
9. 727      Red-winged Blackbird
10. 447      Cackling Goose
11. 329      American Crow
12. 307      Eastern Meadowlark
13. 289      Northern Cardinal
14. 227      Mourning Dove
15. 225      Ring-necked Duck
16. 215      Blue Jay
17. 208      Savannah Sparrow
18. 200      Song Sparrow
19. 198      Yellow-rumped Warbler
20. 197      Western/Eastern Meadowlark
21. 193      Gadwall
22. 177      Carolina Chickadee
23. 175      Rock Pigeon
24. 175      Eastern Bluebird
25. 163      American Goldfinch
26. 134      Double-crested Cormorant
27. 115      Northern Flicker
28. 113      Carolina Wren
29. 109      House Sparrow
30. 97        Harris’s Sparrow
31. 87        Red-tailed Hawk
32. 84        Spotted Towhee
33. 82        Red-bellied Woodpecker
34. 76        Field Sparrow
35. 75        White-throated Sparrow
36. 68        Northern Mockingbird
37. 64        Tufted Titmouse
38. 59        American Wigeon
39. 57        Redhead
40. 57        American Coot
41. 55        Pied-billed Grebe
42. 51        Downy Woodpecker
43. 45        blackbird sp.
44. 38        American Kestrel
45. 33        Great Blue Heron
46. 30        Green-winged Teal
47. 29        Red-shouldered Hawk
48. 27        Hooded Merganser
49. 27        Herring Gull
50. 26        Smith’s Longspur
51. 26        White-crowned Sparrow
52. 25        Northern Shoveler
53. 24        Pileated Woodpecker
54. 23        Brown-headed Cowbird
55. 22        Wild Turkey
56. 22        Eurasian Collared-Dove
57. 22        Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
58. 21        Northern Harrier
59. 21        Fox Sparrow
60. 16        Lesser Scaup
61. 16        Common Goldeneye
62. 16        White-breasted Nuthatch
63. 16        House Finch
64. 16        Chipping Sparrow
65. 16        Common Grackle
66. 15        Lincoln’s Sparrow
67. 12        Northern Bobwhite
68. 12        Ruby-crowned Kinglet
69. 11        Eastern Phoebe
70. 10        Wood Duck
71. 10        Greater/Lesser Scaup
72. 10        Golden-crowned Kinglet
73. 9          Northern Pintail
74. 9          Brown Creeper
75. 8          Great Horned Owl
76. 8          Bewick’s Wren
77. 8          Swamp Sparrow
78. 7          Belted Kingfisher
79. 6          Sharp-shinned Hawk
80. 6          Brown Thrasher
81. 5          Barred Owl
82. 5          Hairy Woodpecker
83. 5          LeConte’s Sparrow
84. 4          Bufflehead
85. 4          Winter Wren
86. 4          Western Meadowlark
87. 3          Greater White-fronted Goose
88. 3          Killdeer
89. 3          Bonaparte’s Gull
90. 3          Loggerhead Shrike
91. 3          Eastern Towhee
92. 2          Blue-winged Teal
93. 2          Mallard (Domestic type)
94. 2          Ruddy Duck
95. 2          Cooper’s Hawk
96. 2          Bald Eagle
97. 2          Prairie Falcon
98. 2          Red-breasted Nuthatch
99. 2          Hermit Thrush
100. 1          Snow Goose
101. 1          Ross’s Goose
102. 1          domesticated goose
103. 1          Common Loon
104. 1          gull sp.
105. 1          Black Vulture
106. 1          Turkey Vulture
107. 1          Red-headed Woodpecker
108. 1          House Wren
109. 1          Marsh Wren
110. 1          American Tree Sparrow
111. 1          Vesper Sparrow
112. 1          Spotted/Eastern Towhee
113. 1          Pine Warbler
114. 1          Orange-crowned Warbler
115. 1          Common Yellowthroat
116. 1          Greater Roadrunner

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2018 Stillwater CBC Results

Cloudy and cold (officially 23–31 F) but, thankfully, winds were light for the 2018 Christmas Bird Count on Saturday, December 29th. With a few exceptions, overall numbers were down and the 97 species on the list is a bit off pace for the past few years, but there was still lots to see and enjoy on the CBC, including 11,675 individual birds. We recorded the Stillwater Count’s first White-winged Doves – 22 of them!  These might represent the true leading edge of that species’ expansion northward. We also had new high counts for Ring-necked Duck (296), Double-crested Cormorant (307), and Greater Roadrunner (6), with 6 Eastern Phoebes tying the high count record that that species.

Here are some photos to get us going – the grainy, distant, and out-of-focus ones are from Tim O’Connell; Jim Cowley supplied the good ones!

We are grateful to 25 volunteers who bundled up and trundled out to spend the day afield! Together we had 10 parties investing 62.5 hours in searching for birds, with 239 miles driven and 17.5 walked. Thank you for your time and effort Jessica Torres, Deb Hirt, James Kowaleski, Ryan Shannon, Ashley Love, Eric Duell, Elaine Stebler, Damona Doye, Iris McPherson, Scott Loss, Erin Latham, David Latham, Doug Latham, Janet Latham, Lori Green, Jim Shaw, Ray Moranz, Helena Moranz, Les Imboden, Susie Taylor, Jim Cowley, Suze Cowley, Corey Riding, Ron Huebner, and Tim O’Connell.

With at least 200 individuals reported, here are the 12 most abundant species on the 2018 Count:

1. Ring-billed Gull – 2161
2. Canada Goose – 1810
3. American Robin – 1063
4. Dark-eyed Junco – 923
5. European Starling – 559
6. Cedar Waxwing – 487
7. Brewer’s Blackbird – 441
8. Mallard – 337
9. Double-crested Cormorant – 307
10. Ring-necked Duck – 296
11. American Crow – 246
12. Eastern Meadowlark – 210

Here’s the complete list, more-or-less organized taxonomically:

1. Common Loon 1
2. Pied-billed Grebe 23
3. Double-crested Cormorant 307
4. Great Blue Heron 19
5. Canada Goose 1810
6. Cackling Goose 198
7. Mallard 337
8. Mallard (domesticated type) 17
9. Gadwall 148
10. Green-winged Teal 10
11. American Wigeon 10
12. Northern Shoveler 23
13. Ruddy Duck 2
14. Redhead 3
15. Lesser Scaup 33
16. Greater/Lesser Scaup 21
17. Ring-necked Duck 296
18. Bufflehead 17
19. Common Goldeneye 6
20. Common Merganser 62
21. Hooded Merganser 29
22. American Coot 64
23. Killdeer 2
24. Wilson’s Snipe 3
25. Least Sandpiper 1
26. Ring-billed Gull 2161
27. Herring Gull 4
28. Bald Eagle 5
29. Northern Harrier 15
30. Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
31. Cooper’s Hawk 3
32. Red-shouldered Hawk 35
33. Red-tailed Hawk 69
34. Rough-legged Hawk 1
35. American Kestrel 16
36. Merlin 2
37. Prairie Falcon 1
38. Northern Bobwhite 1
39. Wild Turkey 46
40. Rock Pigeon 47
41. Mourning Dove 109
42. Eurasian Collared Dove 3
43. White-winged Dove 22
44. Greater Roadrunner 6
45. Great-horned Owl 8
46. Barred Owl 4
47. Belted Kingfisher 3
48. Northern Flicker 66
49. Red-bellied Woodpecker 38
50. Red-headed Woodpecker 1
51. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 14
52. Downy Woodpecker 20
53. Hairy Woodpecker 7
54. Pileated Woodpecker 5
55. Eastern Phoebe 6
56. Blue Jay 194
57. American Crow 246
58. Tufted Titmouse 29
59. Carolina Chickadee 61
60. White-breasted Nuthatch 11
61. Red-breasted Nuthatch 13
62. Brown Creeper 3
63. Carolina Wren 28
64. Bewick’s Wren 3
65. House Wren 1
66. Golden-crowned Kinglet 9
67. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 9
68. Eastern Bluebird 195
69. Hermit Thrush 4
70. American Robin 1063
71. Northern Mockingbird 43
72. Brown Thrasher 2
73. Cedar Waxwing 487
74. Loggerhead Shrike 2
75. European Starling 559
76. Yellow-rumped Warbler 42
77. Northern Cardinal 174
78. Spotted Towhee 6
79. Savannah Sparrow 23
80. Song Sparrow 105
81. Chipping Sparrow 1
82. Field Sparrow 33
83. Dark-eyed Junco 923
84. White-throated Sparrow 37
85. White-crowned Sparrow 12
86. Harris’s Sparrow 163
87. Fox Sparrow 18
88. Swamp Sparrow 3
89. Lincoln’s Sparrow 6
90. Eastern Meadowlark 210
91. Western Meadowlark 79
92. Red-winged Blackbird 23
93. Brewer’s Blackbird 441
94. House Sparrow 101
95. American Goldfinch 120
96. House Finch 23
97. Purple Finch 9

Enjoy these photos by Jessica Torres! Thanks for your interest in the Christmas Bird Count.

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2017 Stillwater CBC Results

Twenty-seven hearty souls braved frigid north winds, dull skies, and freezing fog to participate in the 118th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count on 30 December 2017. It really was miserable outside, but as uncomfortable as we were, focusing on those birds out there just trying to survive kept us going. In 64.5 hours, those 27 volunteers walked 22.2 miles and drove 325.3 miles in their quest to count at least 16,893 individuals of 101 species. Many thanks to our searchers: Tim O’Connell, Craig Davis, Ray Moranz, Andrew Moranz, Abbey Ramirez, Cassandra Rodenbaugh, Les Imboden, John Couch, Corey Riding, Eric Duell, Jonathan Harris, Ashley Knoch, Ashley Love, Ryan Shannon, Caitlin Laughlin, Luci Wilson, Damona Doye, Elaine Stebler, Kent Andersson, Jen Grindstaff, Dave Latham, Doug Latham, Janet Latham, Erin Latham, Jessica Torres, Deb Hirt, and Richard Burnett.

Here’s what we found (species names in bold indicate new high counts):

Species                                                    Number

1. Greater White-fronted Goose, 8
2. Snow Goose, 2
3. Ross’s Goose, 10
4. Cackling Goose, 721
5. Canada Goose, 2447
6. Canada/Cackling goose, 522
7. Gadwall, 312
8. American Wigeon, 45
9. Mallard, 853
10. Mallard (Domestic type), 7
11. Northern Shoveler, 30
12. Northern Pintail, 1
13. Green-winged Teal, 3
14. Canvasback, 59
15. Redhead, 55
16. Ring-necked Duck, 261
17. Lesser Scaup, 40
18. Greater/Lesser Scaup, 3
19. Bufflehead, 17
20. Common Goldeneye, 17
21. Hooded Merganser,  50
22. Common Merganser, 16
23. Red-breasted Merganser, 9
24. Ruddy Duck, 8
25. Ruddy Shelduck, 1
26. duck spp, 400
27. Northern Bobwhite, 59
28. Wild Turkey, 14
29. Pied-billed Grebe, 38
30. Double-crested Cormorant, 30
31. Great Blue Heron, 18
32. Northern Harrier, 20
33. Sharp-shinned Hawk, 2
34. Cooper’s Hawk, 1
35. Cooper’s/Sharp-shinned hawk,  1
36. Bald Eagle, 3
37. Red-shouldered Hawk, 17
38. Red-tailed Hawk, 35
39. American Coot , 23
40. Killdeer , 5
41. Wilson’s Snipe, 1
42. Ring-billed Gull, 2633
43. Herring Gull, 8
44. Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1
45. Rock Pigeon, 190
46. Eurasian Collared-Dove, 5
47. Mourning Dove, 192
48. Greater Roadrunner, 1
49. Great Horned Owl, 2
50. Barred Owl, 8
51. Belted Kingfisher, 1
52. Red-bellied Woodpecker, 48
53. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 8
54. Downy Woodpecker, 42
55. Hairy Woodpecker, 2
56. Northern Flicker, 54
57. Pileated Woodpecker, 3
58. American Kestrel, 24
59. Merlin, 1
60. Prairie Falcon, 1
61. Eastern Phoebe, 5
62. Loggerhead Shrike, 2
63. Blue Jay, 153
64. American Crow, 296
65. Carolina Chickadee, 104
66. Tufted Titmouse, 34
67. White-breasted Nuthatch, 21
68. Brown Creeper ,4
69. Winter Wren, 2
70. Carolina Wren, 33
71. Bewick’s Wren, 1
72. Golden-crowned Kinglet, 15
73. Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 7
74. Eastern Bluebird, 168
75. Hermit Thrush, 4
76. American Robin, 1192
77. Brown Thrasher, 2
78. Northern Mockingbird, 42
79. European Starling, 1128
80. Cedar Waxwing, 719
81. Lapland Longspur, 2
82. Smith’s Longspur, 221
83. Orange-crowned Warbler, 1
84. Yellow-rumped Warbler, 323
85. Chipping Sparrow, 22
86. Field Sparrow, 51
87. Fox Sparrow, 10
88. Dark-eyed Junco, 1151
89. White-crowned Sparrow, 60
90. Harris’s Sparrow, 223
91. White-throated Sparrow, 50
92. Savannah Sparrow, 17
93. Song Sparrow, 65
94. Lincoln’s Sparrow, 4
95. Spotted Towhee, 13
96. Northern Cardinal, 234
97. Red-winged Blackbird, 353
98. Western Meadowlark, 34
99. Eastern Meadowlark, 118
100. Western/Eastern Meadowlark, 105
101. Brewer’s Blackbird, 103
102. Common Grackle, 1
103. Brown-headed Cowbird, 9
104. House Finch, 4
105. Pine Siskin, 21
106. American Goldfinch, 193
107. House Sparrow, 145

Congratulations – and thanks for sharing – Jessica Torres who came back from the zone west of Lake McMurtry with these extraordinary photos!

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2016 Stillwater CBC Results

The 117th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Counts have been completed. The Sooner Lake CBC was conducted on Monday, Dec. 19 and the Stillwater CBC on Wednesday, Dec. 21.

Twenty-six people donated their time and talents to the Stillwater CBC, and we are grateful to each of them: Alex James, John Polo, Tim O’Connell, Ian Kanda, Sean Smart,
Damona Doye, Elaine Stebler, John McQuaig, Austin Jenkins, Holly Ewing, Scott Loss, Les Imboden, Leslie Miller, Freddy Miller, Helen Jordan, Lelia Heading, Kent Andersson, Linnea Andersson, Jennifer Grindstaff, Caitlin Laughlin, Mike Yough, Corey Riding, Jane Cronin, Eric Duell, Cyndi Park, and Jonathan Harris.

Together, these volunteers tallied 22,018 individuals of approximately 106 species. We set new high counts for at least 29 species:

number	Species	Total		number	Species	Total
1	Greater White-fronted Goose	41		55	Red-headed Woodpecker	8
2	Snow Goose	2		56	Red-bellied Woodpecker	63
3	Cackling Goose	634		57	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	31
4	Canada Goose	3820		58	Downy Woodpecker	58
5	swan sp.	1		59	Hairy Woodpecker	7
6	Wood Duck	6		60	Northern Flicker	92
7	Gadwall	682		61	Pileated Woodpecker	9
8	American Wigeon	98		62	American Kestrel	37
9	Mallard	1594		63	Merlin	4
10	Mallard (Domestic type)	7		64	falcon sp	1
11	Northern Shoveler	96		65	Eastern Phoebe	2
12	Blue-winged Teal	101		66	Loggerhead Shrike	3
13	Green-winged Teal	66		67	Blue Jay	456
14	Northern Pintail	11		68	American Crow	232
15	Canvasback	45		69	Carolina Chickadee	211
16	Redhead	184		70	Tufted Titmouse	46
17	Ring-necked Duck	49		71	Red-breasted Nuthatch	4
18	Lesser Scaup	14		72	White-breasted Nuthatch	31
19	Greater Scaup	2		73	Brown Creeper	8
20	Bufflehead	95		74	Winter Wren	3
21	Barrow’s Goldeneye	7		75	Sedge Wren	1
22	Common Goldeneye	22		76	Carolina Wren	86
23	Hooded Merganser	332		77	Bewick’s Wren	7
24	Common Merganser	186		78	Golden-crowned Kinglet	12
25	Ruddy Duck	26		79	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	16
26	duck sp.	62		80	Eastern Bluebird	287
27	Northern Bobwhite	6		81	Hermit Thrush	8
28	Wild Turkey	22		82	American Robin	3429
29	Common Loon	4		83	Northern Mockingbird	94
30	Pied-billed Grebe	24		84	European Starling	1907
31	Double-crested Cormorant	12		85	Cedar Waxwing	1147
32	American White Pelican	30		86	Yellow-rumped Warbler	164
33	Great Blue Heron	54		87	Chipping Sparrow	9
34	Yellow-crowned Night-Heron	2		88	Field Sparrow	61
35	Northern Harrier	21		89	Fox Sparrow	13
36	Sharp-shinned Hawk	8		90	Dark-eyed Junco	679
37	Cooper’s Hawk	4		91	White-crowned Sparrow	14
38	Red-shouldered Hawk	39		92	Harris’s Sparrow	166
39	Red-tailed Hawk	119		93	White-throated Sparrow	52
40	Rough-legged Hawk	1		94	Savannah Sparrow	33
41	American Coot	112		95	Song Sparrow	166
42	Killdeer	11		96	Lincoln’s Sparrow	20
43	Least Sandpiper	8		97	Swamp Sparrow	4
44	Wilson’s Snipe	2		98	Spotted Towhee	27
45	Greater Yellowlegs	2		99	sparrow sp.	45
46	Ring-billed Gull	373		100	Northern Cardinal	208
47	Herring Gull	12		101	Red-winged Blackbird	401
48	Rock Pigeon	275		102	Eastern Meadowlark	203
49	Eurasian Collared-Dove	38		103	Western Meadowlark	46
50	Mourning Dove	422		104	Western/Eastern Meadowlark	275
51	Greater Roadrunner	5		105	Brewer’s Blackbird	562
52	Great Horned Owl	15		106	Common Grackle	40
53	Barred Owl	7		107	Great-tailed Grackle	8
54	Belted Kingfisher	21		108	Brown-headed Cowbird	362
				109	House Finch	23
				110	Purple Finch	16
				111	American Goldfinch	91
				112	House Sparrow	198

The seven(!) Barrow’s Goldeneyes reported from Lake McMurtry win the rarity prize for this count, but without photos they’re likely to be omitted in the records review process. We also had some great “count week” birds (those observed within 3 days before or after the count, but not on the count day itself): Brown Pelican, Lesser Black-backed Gull, and Red-breasted Merganser (all from Boomer Lake).

There is always plenty to see on a Christmas Bird Count, and this year was no exception:

Official2016CBCresults

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2015 Stillwater CBC Results

Stillwater’s Audubon Christmas Bird Count took place on Saturday, Dec. 19th 2015, with 31 members and friends spending a day in the field counting local birds. The local count, held each year since 1947, represents the longest-running census of wintering birds in Stillwater and the surrounding area. Within the 177 square mile count area, birders tallied more than 18,600 birds of at least 98 different species. We are grateful to Jim Ownby for compiling our local data!

It was a good day for birding, with moderate temperatures (at least once the sun came up!) and little wind. This year we’ve seen few “irruptive” species, birds who occasionally appear from the north, such as Red-breasted Nuthatch and Pine Siskin. Neither was tallied on the count.

A Downy Woodpecker always cheers you up on a crisp December day!

The complete unofficial tally of birds follows. To learn more about any of these species, check out Audubon’s free online Guide to North American Birds.  You can find photos, range maps, recorded calls, and detailed natural history information for each of the species on our list.  For example, check out the entry for Gadwall.

1. Cackling Goose, 37
2. Canada Goose, 2554
3. Wood Duck, 12
4. Gadwall, 175
5. American Wigeon, 36
6. Mallard, 345
7. Northern Shoveler, 81
8. Northern Pintail, 6
9. Green-winged Teal, 158
10. Canvasback, 3
11. Redhead, 102
12. Ring-necked Duck, 90
13. Lesser Scaup, 1
14. Bufflehead, 65
15. Common Goldeneye, 2
16. Common Merganser, 3
17. Hooded Merganser, 21
18. Ruddy Duck, 2
19. Northern Bobwhite, 6
20. Wild Turkey, 8
21. Pied-billed Grebe, 25
22. Horned Grebe, 2
23. Double-crested Cormorant, 10
24. Great Blue Heron, 14
25. Northern Harrier, 23
26. Sharp-shinned Hawk, 4
27. Cooper’s Hawk, 12
28. Bald Eagle, 4
29. Red-shouldered Hawk, 19
30. Red-tailed Hawk, 87
31. American Coot, 83
32. Killdeer, 48
33. Greater Yellowlegs, 6
34. Wilson’s Snipe, 1
35. Ring-billed Gull, 164
36. Rock Pigeon, 310
37. Eurasian Collared Dove, 12
38. Mourning Dove, 380
39. Greater Roadrunner, 2
40. Eastern Screech-Owl, 2
41. Great-horned Owl, 12
42. Barred Owl, 4
43. Belted Kingfisher, 6
44. Red-headed Woodpecker, 2
45. Red-bellied Woodpecker, 92
46. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 27
47. Downy Woodpecker, 49
48. Hairy Woodpecker, 11
49. Northern Flicker, 85; (65 Yellow-shafted, 10 Red-shafted, 10 unknown)
50. Pileated Woodpecker, 12
51. American Kestrel, 21
52. Merlin, 3
53. Eastern Phoebe, 5
54. Loggerhead Shrike, 3
55. Blue Jay, 254
56. American Crow, 370
57. Carolina Chickadee, 152
58. Tufted Titmouse, 60
59. White-breasted Nuthatch, 16
60. Brown Creeper, 4
61. Carolina Wren, 73
62. Bewick’s Wren, 4
63. Golden-crowned Kinglet, 7
64. Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 17
65. Eastern Bluebird, 354
66. Hermit Thrush, 2
67. American Robin, 6,002
68. Brown Thrasher, 4
69. Northern Mockingbird, 67
70. European Starling, 2,670
71. Cedar Waxwing, 1,050
72. Smith’s Longspur, 95
73. Yellow-rumped Warbler, 154
74. LeConte’s Sparrow, 5
75. American Tree Sparrow, 9
76. Chipping Sparrow, 7
77. Field Sparrow, 71
78. Fox Sparrow, 3
79. Dark-eyed Junco, 514
80. White-crowned Sparrow, 25
81. Harris’s Sparrow, 124
82. White-throated Sparrow, 17
83. Savannah Sparrow, 28
84. Song Sparrow, 134
85. Vesper Sparrow, 1
86. Lincoln’s Sparrow, 5
87. Swamp Sparrow, 3
88. Spotted Towhee, 6
89. Eastern Towhee, 2
90. Northern Cardinal, 167
91. Red-winged Blackbird, 63
92. Eastern Meadowlark, 461 (89 reported as Eastern, 372 as “Meadowlark”)
93. Brewer’s Blackbird, 43
94. Common Grackle, 35
95. House Finch, 37
96. Purple Finch, 1
97. American Goldfinch, 159
98. House Sparrow, 223

Birders who participated in the count were:  Kent Andersson, Cody Barnes, Talia Branham, Anne Collins, John Couch, Damona Doye, Eric Duell, Alin Gonzalez, Jennifer Grindstaff, Lelia Heading, Alex James, Helen Jordan, Caitlin Laughlin, Britton Lilly, Scott Loss, Bob McCormick, Peggy McCormick, Cindy McGill, Noah McGill, Iris McPherson, Joyce Meyer, Leslie Miller, Helena Moranz, Ray Moranz, Arpad Nyari, Tim O’Connell, Charlotte Ownby, Jim Ownby, Monica Papes, John Polo, and Elaine Stebler.

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2014 Stillwater CBC Results

The 2014 Audubon Christmas Bird Count took place on Saturday, Dec. 20th. We are grateful to Jim Ownby for coordinating the CBC and providing the following results:

Members and friends of Payne County Audubon Society participated in the 115th annual National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count on December 20, 2014. The local count, held each year since 1947, represents the longest-running census of wintering birds in Stillwater and surrounding Payne County. Within the 177 square mile count area, birders tallied more than 15,000 birds of 101 different species.

It was a fine day for birding, with cool temperatures and little wind. The only true rarity was a Lewis’s Woodpecker, normally found in the Rocky Mountains, that has been seen at Lake Carl Blackwell since at least Nov. 18th. Dark-eyed Juncos, the commonest wintering sparrow in Payne County, were not as abundant as in most years.

Since the first count was held in 1947, a substantial part of the count area has been converted from prairie grassland to residential areas. More prairie has been lost to invasive red cedar. We now see fewer birds that winter on the prairie and in riparian areas, such as Eastern Meadowlarks, American Tree Sparrows, Bewick’s Wrens, and Northern Bobwhite. The changes in habitat have benefited species such as Red-shouldered Hawks, American Robins, and Cedar Waxwings, as well as non-native European Starlings and House Sparrows.

The complete unofficial tally of birds was:

Common Loon, 1
Pied-billed Grebe, 12
Double-crested Cormorant, 17
Great Blue Heron, 32
Cackling Goose, 62
Canada Goose, 3425
Wood Duck, 5
Gadwall, 194
American Wigeon, 42
Mallard, 661
Blue-winged Teal, 33
Northern Shoveler, 9
Northern Pintail, 8
Green-winged Teal, 32
Canvasback, 73
Redhead, 34
Ring-necked Duck, 92
Lesser Scaup, 8
Greater Scaup, 10
Common Goldeneye, 91
Bufflehead, 27
Ruddy Duck, 12
Hooded Merganser, 6
American White Pelican, 82
Turkey Vulture, 1
Bald Eagle, 2
Northern Harrier, 19
Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1
Cooper’s Hawk, 4
Red-shouldered Hawk, 32
Red-tailed Hawk, 112
Rough-legged Hawk, 1
American Kestrel, 21
Merlin, 1
Wild Turkey, 130
American Coot, 151
Killdeer, 4
Greater Yellowlegs, 1
Common (Wilson’s) Snipe, 2
Bonaparte’s Gull, 2
Ring-billed Gull, 764
Rock Pigeon, 157
Mourning Dove, 424
Eurasian Collared Dove, 11
Greater Roadrunner, 5
Great Horned Owl, 11
Short-eared Owl, 1
Barred Owl, 5
Belted Kingfisher, 11
Red-headed Woodpecker, 27
Red-bellied Woodpecker, 58
Downy Woodpecker, 42
Hairy Woodpecker, 6
Lewis’s Woodpecker, 1
Pileated Woodpecker, 4
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 12
Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker, 19
Northern (Red-shafted) Flicker, 5
Eastern Phoebe, 1
Horned Lark, 16
Blue Jay, 412
American Crow, 287
Carolina Chickadee, 188
Tufted Titmouse, 54
White-breasted Nuthatch, 21
Brown Creeper, 4
Carolina Wren, 60
Bewick’s Wren, 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 9
Golden-crowned Kinglet, 6
Eastern Bluebird, 410
American Robin, 2352
Loggerhead Shrike, 5
Northern Mockingbird, 93
Brown Thrasher, 4
European Starling, 1856
American Pipit, 1
Cedar Waxwing, 522
Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler, 33
Spotted Towhee, 17
American Tree Sparrow, 4
Field Sparrow, 25
Savannah Sparrow, 3
Fox Sparrow, 2
Song Sparrow, 35
Lincoln’s Sparrow, 1
White-throated Sparrow, 14
White-crowned Sparrow, 45
Harris’s Sparrow, 107
Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco, 466
Smith’s Longspur, 1
Northern Cardinal, 279
Red-winged Blackbird, 10
Eastern Meadowlark, 53; Meadowlark sp., 314
Brewer’s Blackbird, 232
Common Grackle, 61
Brown-headed Cowbird, 66
Pine Siskin, 1
American Goldfinch, 136
House Finch, 15
House Sparrow, 218

Birders who participated in the count were: Kent Andersson, Fidel Atuo, Laurie Clemens, Jim Cowley, Suzanne Cowley, Damona Doye, Eric Duell, Elisa Elizondo, Jennifer Grindstaff, Lelia Heading, Deb Hirt, Les Imboden, Alex James, Helen Jordan, Caitlin Laughlin, Bob McCormick, Peggy McCormick, Freddy Miller, Leslie Miller, Andrew Moranz, Helena Moranz, Ray Moranz, Arpad Nyari, Tim O’Connell, Jim Ownby, Monica Papes, John Polo, Thea Pratt, Natalia Santos, Bob Schlottmann, Elaine Stebler, Sue Taylor, and Susan Walker.

1. Lisa, Fidel, and Tim take a selfie break at Lake Carl Blackwell.

History of the Christmas Bird Counts

The brainchild of ornithologist Frank Chapman at the American Museum of Natural History in 1900, the National Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count was among the first true citizen science endeavors. Today, with more than a century of data under our collective belt, the CBC provides some of the best data on long-term population trends for wintering birds in the US and Canada. For species that breed well north of the reach of the Breeding Bird Survey, the CBC provides our only systematic sample of populations.

Listen to the late, great Chan Robbins – founder of the North American Breeding Bird Survey – explaining the origin and value of the Christmas Bird Count. Chan should know, as he participated in more than 400 of them!

Our Stillwater CBC was founded in 1947 by husband-and-wife ornithologists Fred and Marguerite Baumgartner. Their efforts, combined with the dedicated leadership and service of all the members and friends of the Payne County Audubon Society, have helped build a remarkable database that tracks bird populations and, by extension, habitat changes in our region.

For just one example, check out this comparison of Loggerhead Shrike vs. Eurasian Collared Dove on our count over the last 30 years or so. (The abundance estimate on the vertical axis is birds/party-hour, which is a way to correct for the varying number of people participating year to year):

The grassland-dependent Loggerhead Shrike has declined dramatically, especially within the last 15 years. In contrast, the urban-adapted Eurasian Collared Dove has recently colonized Stillwater and is steadily increasing in abundance.