Lakewood Christmas Bird Count

Sunday, December 27, 2015.
Time out in the field 06:45 to 15:30
74 Participants

Submitted by: ​
Nancy Howell, Compiler for the Lakewood Circle, Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society

Summary Overview
The 2015 Lakewood Circle (west side of Cleveland) Christmas Bird Count was well covered by 74
participants. December 2015 was one of the more unusual months, weather-wise, and most likely
contributed to the species found … or not. Meteorologists reported that December 2015 had been the
warmest December on record for our area with temperatures throughout the month well above normal. On
count day, temperatures began at 50 degrees with overcast skies and lots of rain and drizzle. As the day wore
on, temperatures steadily declined to the low 40’s and, for some, the upper 30’s. Very little wind was a
blessing, but the rain which lasted half of the day, then persisted as drizzle, made for some difficult birding –
difficult to see, to hear and even the birds didn’t want to get wet. The mild weather left Lake Erie and any
inland waters; lakes, streams and rivers, wide open. Nothing to concentrate water birds. Similarly, songbirds
were not concentrated by food sources due to the mild weather.

As one reads through the list it may be noticeable that many species, normally seen at the time of the
Christmas Count, are missing or were seen in low numbers. The list includes ​ 63 ​
species ​
on count day and
5 count week for a total of ​ 68 species​ . As of January 8, 2016, with all lists accounted for, below are the
results of the 2015 Lakewood Circle (OH) Christmas Bird Count. Following the species list is commentary
on the findings and lastly the list of participants.

 
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114th National Audubon Christmas Bird Count, Lakewood Circle Tally, Western Cuyahoga Audubon
Society 2015
bold, ​
Note: Rare, unusual or unexpected species are​ CW​
while count week (​ italics​
) species are in​ .

# Species Number

1. Canada Goose 1435

2. Tundra Swan CW

3. Mallard 567

4. American Black Duck 2

5. Wood Duck 2

6. Redhead 1

7. Greater Scaup 1

8. White-winged Scoter 1

9. Surf Scoter 4

10. Common Goldeneye 663

11. Red-breasted Merganser 4656

12. Wild Turkey 8

13. Common Loon 2

14. Horned Grebe 29

15. Pied-billed Grebe 5

16. Double-crested 12
Cormorant

17. Great Blue Heron 9

©2016 Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society.

Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works.
Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, 4310 Bush Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109
Email: ​
info@wcaudubon.org​ Web: ​
http://www.wcaudubon.org
 
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114th National Audubon Christmas Bird Count, Lakewood Circle Tally, Western Cuyahoga Audubon
Society 2015

18. Bald Eagle 6

19. Cooper’s Hawk 2

20. Red-tailed hawk 23

21. Red-shouldered Hawk 4

22. American Kestrel 1

23. Peregrine Falcon 2

24. American Coot 3

25. Ring-billed Gull 4472

26. Herring Gull 188

27. Great Black-backed Gull 5

28. Lesser Black-backed 2

Gull

29. Bonaparte’s Gull 1803

30. Rock Pigeon 254

31. Mourning Dove 141

32. Great Horned Owl CW

33. Barred Owl 1

34. Belted Kingfisher 9

35. Red-bellied Woodpecker 58

©2016 Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society.

Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works.
Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, 4310 Bush Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109
Email: ​
info@wcaudubon.org​ Web: ​
http://www.wcaudubon.org
 
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114th National Audubon Christmas Bird Count, Lakewood Circle Tally, Western Cuyahoga Audubon
Society 2015

36. Downy Woodpecker 101

37. Hairy Woodpecker 21

38. Northern Flicker 3

39. Pileated Woodpecker 3

40. American Crow 86

41. Blue Jay 194

42. Black-capped Chickadee 276

43. Tufted Titmouse 100

44. White-breasted Nuthatch 71

45. Brown Creeper 1

46. Carolina Wren 3

47. Winter Wren CW

48. Golden-crowned Kinglet 3

49. Eastern Bluebird 5

50. American Robin 506

51. Northern Mockingbird CW

52. Gray Catbird CW

53. European Starling 919

54. Cedar Waxwing 4

55. American Tree Sparrow 209

©2016 Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society.

Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works.
Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, 4310 Bush Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109
Email: ​
info@wcaudubon.org​ Web: ​
http://www.wcaudubon.org
 
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114th National Audubon Christmas Bird Count, Lakewood Circle Tally, Western Cuyahoga Audubon
Society 2015

56. Chipping Sparrow 1

57. Fox Sparrow 5

58. Song Sparrow 45

59. Swamp Sparrow 2

60. White-throated Sparrow 40

61. Dark-eyed Junco 317

62. Northern Cardinal 165

63. Red-winged Blackbird 63

64. Common Grackle 1

65. Brown-headed Cowbird 2

66. House Finch 139

67. American Goldfinch 206

68. House Sparrow 929

Mild weather and rain were the two weather items that influenced the 2015 Lakewood Circle (OH)
Christmas Bird Count. A few other choice words regarding the rain were indicated by some participants, but
they are not fit to print (just kidding). Lake Erie and all inland lakes, ponds and rivers were free of ice. Rain
before and on count day caused rivers and streams to be swollen and in some areas, dangerously swiftly.
Waterfowl species and numbers were considerably lower than in past years. Dabbling duck diversity (ooh,
say that fast, three times) was low with no species out of the ordinary. Diving and big water ducks, were
down greatly. One Redhead, one Greater Scaup were pathetically low numbers and the Redhead was not
even sighted on Lake Erie, it was located on a small pond. Common Goldeneye had respectable numbers.
Two species of scoter – Surf and White-winged – were nice finds. The only merganser tallied was the
Red-breasted Merganser, again with very low numbers. No Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup,
Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser or Ruddy Ducks were noted. Mild weather, open
water and, perhaps, the birds not even arriving from the north, all seem to add up to the poor showing of
waterfowl.

©2016 Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society.

Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works.
Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, 4310 Bush Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109
Email: ​
info@wcaudubon.org​ Web: ​
http://www.wcaudubon.org
 
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114th National Audubon Christmas Bird Count, Lakewood Circle Tally, Western Cuyahoga Audubon
Society 2015
Common Loons, Horned and Pied-billed Grebes were good finds on Lake Erie. A dozen Double-crested
Cormorants and a few American Coot rounded out the list of water birds on the lake.

Wild Turkey were noted by a couple of groups this year which is nice since sometimes they are missed.

Nine Great Blue Heron as well as 9 Belted Kingfisher were counted, some along the high waters of streams
and rivers and some along lakes and ponds.

Hawks, eagles and falcons were observed by a number of groups, but nothing unusual. No matter the
weather, they had to be out hunting for their meals.

Ring-billed, Herring and Bonaparte’s Gull numbers were lower than in past years, again due to the open
waters of Lake Erie. Five Great Black-backed Gulls and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls made nice additions to
the list.

Scraping up any owls was difficult. One Barred Owl was found on the day of the count. The Great Horned
Owl was noted during count week.

As we get into the species of birds that may be found at birdfeeders, in backyards, and parks, numbers of
many species were lower. Woodpecker showings were respectable. American Crow numbers dipped a bit,
but again, were the birds just spread so widely that they were not counted or are their populations truly
down? A single Brown Creeper, 3 Carolina Wrens and 3 Golden-crowned Kinglets made the list. Eastern
Bluebirds were found by a couple of groups and over 500 American Robins were tallied with some groups
reporting large flocks. Compare this with the 2014 CBC American Robin tally of only 159 birds. Cedar
Waxwing made for a nice addition to the count. During count week a single Gray Catbird was
photographed in a residential area of Lakewood which was nice.

Sparrow species were typical of what is generally found in the count circle. American Tree Sparrow and
Dark-eyed Juncos numbers were fairly high, Song and White-throated Sparrows were in good number,
Swamp Sparrows should be more common, but their numbers are consistently low. Five Fox Sparrows were
a good find for count day and a winter plumaged Chipping Sparrow was a great addition to count day.

Red - winged Blackbirds and Common Grackle seem to be becoming winter regulars in the count circle.
While not many, they do add to the list. Two Brown-headed Cowbirds, while maybe not the most delightful
of species, also made the list this year. American Goldfinch were fairly abundant, but House Finch numbers
seemed to slip a bit. House Sparrows seemed to be everywhere.

Well-deserved thanks go out to all of the following who birded by car, on foot, watched feeders, did some
owling, etc. Apologies to those who I may have missed despite looking over the lists again and again. Don’t
forget to look and plan ahead for 2016.

©2016 Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society.

Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works.
Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, 4310 Bush Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109
Email: ​
info@wcaudubon.org​ Web: ​
http://www.wcaudubon.org
 
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114th National Audubon Christmas Bird Count, Lakewood Circle Tally, Western Cuyahoga Audubon
Society 2015
Volunteers

Jay Abercrombie, Alison Ball, Ken and Lois Ballas, Mary Bartos, Kit and Dennis Birch, Kathleen Bradley,
Nancy Brewer, Scott Brozell, Erik Bruder, Diane Busch, June Cangey, Lee and Mary Cavano, Frank
Comodeca, Bill Deininger, David Dvorak Jr., Mark Eberling, Brenda and Todd Eiben, Maria and Charles
Finchum, Bob Finkelstein, Joanne and Terry Gorges, Kurt Grenig, Sharon Hanse, Jim Heflich, Heather
Hodges, Nancy and Don Howell, Mary Lou Hura, Debra Jesionowski, Anna Julnes, Joan Kafer, Rich
Kassouf, Ethan Kistler, Tom Kosicki, Jeff and Marian Kraus, Jeff and Irene Krise, JoAnn Kubicki, Ray
Kutnar, Emily Larsen, Becky Lauer, Fred Losi, Paula Lozano, Terri Martincic, Jim McCarty, Mary Lou
McGuire, Liz McQuaid, Aaron Milenski, Tamyra Mouginis, Kathy Murphy, Penny O’Connor, Donna
Owen, Michael Pasek, Chris Pierce, Marty Reynard, Craig Rieker, Tom and Mary Anne Romito, Larry
Rosche, Jeremiah Roth, Gaye Rule, Lisa Schlog, Linda Sekura, Judy Semroc, Mark Shaver, Paul Sherwood,
Chuck Slusarczyk, Jr. and Bev Walborn.

©2016 Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society.

Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works.
Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, 4310 Bush Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109
Email: ​
info@wcaudubon.org​ Web: ​
http://www.wcaudubon.org