TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY, NC

NORTH AMERICAN MIGRATION COUNT

Saturday May 12, 2007

Hampered by the absence of many regular participants due to a variety of causes, and with activities cut short mid-way through the day for most of those in the field due to sudden heavy rain, the local spring bird count nevertheless was relatively successful and even managed to turn up a few surprises along the way. The final species score was 105, well below the recent average of 112 and a far cry from the record 119, but considering the obstacles that were overcome, the outcome was better than might have been expected. One major disappointment was the fact that the storm began on the Parkway just as birders arrived there, and because of it they were unable to find most of the northern species that are specialties of the area. Happy surprises included four Common Nighthawks, a Kentucky Warbler in a new site, two Swainson’s Warblers, a lingering Northern Waterthrush, a Common Loon, several late-staying White-throated Sparrows, and a single Pine Siskin

In all there were 17 people in seven field parties (normal is 35-40 people in as many as 18 parties) and their efforts were supplemented by four parties counting birds at their homes.

Weather was overcast and cloudy in the morning, with rain – unrelenting, drenching rain -- descending on the higher elevations at 11 a.m. and reaching the river valleys by about 2 p.m.

The list follows:

Common Loon 1

Pied-billed Grebe 1

Double-crested Cormorant 2

Great Blue Heron 6

Canada Goose 38

Wood Duck 11

Mallard 27

Black Vulture 4

Turkey Vulture 35

Sharp-shinned Hawk 1

Cooper’s Hawk 1

Red-shouldered Hawk 3

Broad-winged Hawk 1

Red-tailed Hawk 10

Peregrine Falcon 1

American Coot 3

Killdeer 2

Rock Dove 9

Mourning Dove 108

Yellow-billed Cuckoo 3

Barred Owl 2

Common Nighthawk 4

Whip-poor-will 1

Chimney Swift 31

Ruby-throated hummingbird 32

Belted Kingfisher 5

Red-bellied Woodpecker 27

Downy Woodpecker 13

Hairy Woodpecker 6

Northern Flicker 6

Pileated Woodpecker

Eastern Wood-Pewee 2

Acadian Flycatcher 2

Willow Flycatcher 10

Eastern Phoebe 16

Great Crested Flycatcher 7

Eastern Kingbird 9

Purple Martin 9

Tree Swallow 45

Northern Rough-winged Swallow 16

Barn Swallow 109

Blue Jay 53

American Crow 150

Carolina Chickadee 67

Tufted Titmouse 65

White-breasted Nuthatch 29

Carolina Wren 55

House Wren 32

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 5

Eastern Bluebird 59

Veery 4

Wood Thrush 24

American Robin 98

Gray Catbird 41

Northern Mockingbird 38

Brown Thrasher 23

Cedar Waxwing 56

European Starling 132

White-eyed Vireo 7

Blue-headed Vireo 23

Red-eyed Vireo 14

Northern Parula 22

Yellow Warbler 3

Chestnut-sided Warbler 7

Black-throated Blue Warbler 9

Yellow-rumped Warbler 3

Black-throated Green Warbler 5

Blackburnian Warbler 4

Yellow-throated Warbler 3

Blackpoll Warbler 10

Cerulean Warbler 1

Black-and-white Warbler 8

American Redstart 6

Worm-eating Warbler 3

Swainson’s Warbler 2

Ovenbird 16

Northern Waterthrush 1

Louisiana Waterthrush 6

Kentucky Warbler 1

Common Yellowthroat 21

Hooded Warbler 30

Yellow-breasted Chat 1

Scarlet Tanager 13

Northern Cardinal 110

Rose-breasted Grosbeak 11

Blue Grosbeak 4

Indigo Bunting 47

Eastern Towhee 125

Chipping Sparrow 19

Field Sparrow 6

Song Sparrow 116

White-throated Sparrow 5

Dark-eyed Junco 8

Bobolink 26

Red-winged Blackbird 115

Eastern Meadowlark 31

Common Grackle 46

Brown-headed Cowbird 8

Orchard Oriole 2

Baltimore Oriole 3

House Finch 73

Pine Siskin 1

American Goldfinch 114

House Sparrow 6