In distinction with final 12 months’s horrible climate, the 124th Audubon Christmas Fowl Rely (2023-2024) was the warmest on document happening in the course of the hottest December on document in Minnesota. Whereas final 12 months’s depend was snowy and white, this 12 months’s was brown. Heat climate left the lakes ice-free effectively into the depend, which stored a excessive variety of waterfowl round to be counted. The variety of waterfowl was the primary issue within the 375,786 complete birds being the second highest depend within the final ten years and 30% greater than final 12 months’s depend. Heat climate additionally introduced out a document variety of members. Fourteen species set new information: Trumpeter Swan, Frequent Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Purple-breasted Merganser, Better Scaup, Ruffed Grouse, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Barred Owl, Merlin, Purple-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Horned Lark, Blue Jay and Purple Crossbill. Sudden notable finds included an Eared Grebe, a “Harlan’s” Purple-tailed Hawk, an American Pipit, an Japanese Phoebe, 3 Eurasian Tree Sparrows, a Vesper Sparrow, and a Dickcissel.
Eared Grebe picture by David Lambeth
Harlan’s Hawk picture by Phil Erickson
Knowledge on this abstract is just for Minnesota and doesn’t embrace participation and birds from exterior the state in border counts. Ninety-one counts reported information, a brand new document. One new depend was established centered on Clearwater in Sherburne County. Further evaluate was required of 178 unusual and uncommon chook experiences (vs. 164 and 143 within the earlier two years). Eighteen sightings weren’t accepted due to insufficient or no documentation. 9 different sightings have been withdrawn, as apparent identification errors or data-entry errors. One picture submitted to doc one species, resulted within the ID of an unreported species.
The climate was described by most as delicate. Correlating with a powerful El Nino, it was the warmest December on document for Minneapolis. Sixty % of all counts had highs above freezing temperatures with half of these having highs above 40 levels, together with a excessive of 58 levels on the Lac qui Parle depend. The skies could have been “just about yucky”, grey, drizzly, and misty on many counts, however they weren’t snowy. Final 12 months lower than 15 % of the counts had temperatures above freezing and just one hit 40 levels. Whereas final 12 months solely three % of the counts had one or much less inches of snow on the bottom, this 12 months over 95 % of the counts had primarily no snow. The overwhelming majority of counts had little temperature variation and low winds. Nobody was reported on snowshoes or skis, maybe for the primary time since such information was collected.
Complete participation was 2251, a 5.6% enhance over final 12 months’s document. This complete included 513 feeder watchers, a lower from the final three years. The typical participation per depend was 24.7 individuals, higher than final 12 months (24.2) and about the identical because the 12 months earlier than. Six counts reported greater than 60 members, in comparison with 11 final 12 months and 6 the 12 months earlier than. The Minneapolis West depend in solely its second 12 months reported probably the most with 115 members.
The nice and cozy climate and open water resulted in a bonanza of waterfowl. The thirty-three species of waterfowl exceeded the twenty-nine reported every of the earlier two years. Waterfowl represented 45% of all birds counted with Canada Geese and Mallards – our two most considerable species, accounting for 86% of that complete. The 108,500 Canada Geese was 63% above and the 37,050 Mallards was 55% above the ten-year common. The entire extra frequent waterfowl have been above that common. The quickly growing Trumpeter Swans (9,934) was greater than 68% above final 12 months’s document depend. Frequent Goldeneye (5,335), Hooded Merganser (367), Purple-breasted Merganser (88), and Better Scaup (52) all had information. An Eared Grebe on the Grand Forks depend was a primary county winter document, the primary recorded on the Christmas Fowl Rely and simply the third winter report in Minnesota. An American Wigeon on the Pipestone depend, a White-winged Scoter on the Wilmar depend, a Ruddy Duck on the Two Harbors depend, and a depend week Purple-necked Grebe have been all first county winter information.
5 species of birds related to water – Nice Blue Heron, Black-crowned Evening Heron, Double-crested Cormorants, American White Pelican, and Belted Kingfisher have been reported, yet one more than final 12 months. All besides the kingfishers have been in greater numbers than the final 10 years. A depend week Nice Blue Heron on the Walker depend, cormorant on the Northwestern McLeod depend, and a depend week pelican on the Alexandria depend have been all first county winter information. Wilson’s Snipe, the one shorebird, was present in numbers much like final 12 months.
It was a combined 12 months for upland recreation birds. Wild Turkeys and Sharp-tailed Grouse had sturdy counts, much like the final three or 4 years. Ruffed Grouse (394) hit a document, however numbers have been comparable per depend circle with good years earlier than 2000. Ring-neck Pheasants, Better Prairie-Chickens, and Grey Partridge all had an off 12 months.
The variety of raptors was excessive. Bald Eagle, Cooper’s Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk numbers have been just under information set within the final two years. Tough-legged Hawk numbers have been above common, whereas Purple-tailed Hawks have been beneath common. Different hawks and eagles have been present in small numbers. A lovely “Harlan’s” Purple-tailed Hawk was reported on the Minneapolis (North) depend. A depend week Turkey Vulture was a primary county winter document on the St. Cloud depend, and one other was a depend week report on the Rochester depend. Extra American Kestrels have been counted than in any of the final seventeen years, hopefully a reversal of their free-falling numbers, whereas the 44 Merlins have been a brand new document.
The document variety of Barred Owls (102) for the second 12 months in a row and solely the third time within the final 60 years eclipsed the variety of Nice Horned Owls. Excluding the Barred Owls, each breeding and wintering owl numbers have been low. Solely 6 Nice Grey Owls have been reported and most of these could have been native birds. Not more than two of some other winter visiting owl have been reported. An Japanese Screech-Owl reported on the Pillager depend was a primary county winter document.
Whereas over the past ten years, Ring-billed Gulls averaged half the variety of Herring Gulls, this depend they have been nearly 90% of Herring Gulls numbers. 4 different gull species have been reported in small numbers. Many of the gulls have been alongside Lake Superior, the Mississippi, and within the Metro Space. Eurasian Collard-Doves (998) have been reported at document ranges for the fourth 12 months in a row with a primary winter county document on the Pillager depend. Rock Pigeons, discovered on all however two of the counts and the fourth most considerable chook within the state on the depend, have been over 30% above the ten-year common, whereas Mourning Doves have been 5% beneath the common.
All frequent woodpeckers have been reported of their 5 highest numbers for the fourth 12 months in a row. Purple-bellied Woodpeckers (1877) and Northern Glints (360) had document numbers. As the results of a powerful acorn crop, Purple-headed Woodpeckers (97 with nearly 90% on the Cedar Creek Lavatory depend) have been reported with the second highest numbers for the reason that Seventies.
It was an off 12 months for winter discipline birds. Horned Larks have been reported on the lowest quantity in nearly 20 years. Lapland Longspurs have been at 63.5% and Snow Buntings have been at 41.7% of their ten-year common. Horned Larks have been once more principally within the South Central and Southwest of the state. Over 70% of the longspurs have been on three counts within the Central to Japanese a part of the state. Snow Buntings have been scattered all throughout the state.
Although Blue Jays numbers hit a document peak of 10,837 and American Crow have been at in regards to the ten-year common, crows have been nonetheless beneath the pre-West Nile numbers per participant of the Nineties. Frequent Ravens have been barely beneath that common. Black-billed Magpies hit their second highest peak, whereas Canada Jays have been effectively beneath common just like the final three years. Blue Jays have been reported on all counts, whereas crows have been on all however one. Ravens have been reported on simply over half the counts together with a depend week chook from the Nelson depend at Prairie Island in Goodhue County.
Northern Shrikes recorded the third highest depend ever, reported on 87% of the counts. An Japanese Phoebe on the Hastings depend was solely the fifth report on a Minnesota depend. Black-capped Chickadees have been discovered on each depend in numbers simply barely beneath common. White-breasted Nuthatches have been discovered on all however two counts and have been barely above common. Purple-breasted Nuthatches and Brown Creepers have been each considerably beneath the ten-year common. Tufted Titmouse numbers have been about the identical as final 12 months, however discovered on 11% of the counts, down from 13%. A Ruby-crowned Kinglet on the Lac qui Parle depend was a primary county winter document.
Whereas six species of thrushes and thrashers have been reported, American Robins numbers have been down considerably, they usually represented over 95% of that group. There have been solely 128 Japanese Bluebirds and 18 of the opposite 4 species. The Hermit Thrush on the Cedar Creek Lavatory depend and the 2 Townsend’s Solitaires on Pine County have been first winter information for the county. Each waxwings continued to be reported in excessive numbers, with the Bohemian Waxwings at their fifth highest and the Cedar Waxwings at their fourth highest. Bohemian Waxwings have been discovered throughout the north of the state, however primarily within the northeast. Cedar Waxwings have been discovered farther south with some mixing in a number of the northern counts particularly round Duluth.
European Starling numbers, whereas above the ten-year common, and greater than in earlier many years, don’t method the numbers per participant of greater than 15 years in the past. So, whereas the gross numbers have elevated, the density of the birds has decreased. Home Sparrow numbers fell from final 12 months. Though nonetheless above the ten-year common, they’re significantly beneath the numbers within the Nineties. Eurasian Tree Sparrows have been reported for the seventh time within the final decade. Whereas the three reported this 12 months have been required to be submitted to the information committee, future sightings is not going to as they’ve grow to be a daily species in Minnesota. Two of these sparrows have been present in two counts in Lyons County, representing first county winter information. For less than the third time in Minnesota an American Pipit was reported on The Lambert depend, a primary county winter document.
Whereas Darkish-eyed Junco numbers dropped once more from the document excessive two years in the past, they have been nonetheless the fifth highest depend ever. American Tree Sparrows numbers fell beneath common. The juncos and tree sparrows represented greater than 99% of the 13 species of sparrows reported. The much less frequent sparrows included first county winter information of a Chipping Sparrow on the Morris depend, White-crowned Sparrows on the Nelson and Carlton/Cloquet counts, and a depend week Vesper Sparrow on the Bemidji depend. A further Chipping Sparrow was reported on the Whitewater depend.
It was an excellent 12 months for blackbirds. Extra Purple-winged Blackbirds have been reported than in any of greater than fifteen earlier years, though this was a lot decrease than flocks in many years of the Sixties by means of the Eighties when there have been far fewer counts and members. Frequent Grackles numbers have been greater than 5 occasions the common for the final ten years and solely eclipsed by the document set in 1976. These two blackbird species represented near 99% of the six species of blackbirds reported. A Baltimore Oriole was an surprising discover on the St. Paul (North) depend. Northern Cardinals have been discovered on 80% of the counts at about common numbers. Notable finds included a depend week Rose-breasted Grosbeak in Duluth and the state’s second depend report of a Dickcissel on the Two Harbors depend. A Pine Warbler in Duluth and three Yellow-rumped Warblers have been the one warblers reported.
Seven of Minnesota’s 9 anticipated species of finches have attribute irruptive bursts into the state in winter. Some years they’re right here in nice numbers and a few years they’re almost completely absent. The 2 non-migratory finches, American Goldfinch and Home Finch, each had above ten-year averages. Purple Finches, which breed in northern Minnesota, are solely barely irruptive and had numbers solely about 10% above common. Pine Siskins and Purple Crossbills irrupted this depend 12 months with two to a few occasions common numbers after very low numbers the 12 months earlier than. The 556 Purple Crossbills was a document excessive. Redpolls, Night Grosbeaks. Pine Grosbeaks, and White-winged Crossbills all had very low counts.
An entire desk of the outcomes of the 124th Christmas Fowl Rely in Minnesota (consists of information from exterior of Minnesota from border counts) is out there at: https://moumn.org/CBC/coordinator_yearend_table.php?main&year=2023
For Minnesota information solely, which was used on this abstract: https://moumn.org/CBC/coordinator_yearend_table.php?main&year=2023&mn
A desk exhibiting what sightings have been reviewed, what documentation was acquired, eBird postings, and whether or not experiences have been accepted is out there for obtain at: https://moumn.org/CBC/documents/MN%20CBC%20124%20Birds%20for%20Review.htm
Pictures of birds submitted for documentation (and never on eBird) can be found at: https://moumn.org/CBC/recent.php?count_year=124&op=
