56th Waterloo CBC Report
by Don Henise
Photos by Mike Bowen & Nolan Williams
The 56th annual Waterloo State Rec Area Christmas Bird Count was conducted on Saturday December 14th, 2024. The best word to describe this year’s count is “average”. Thirty dedicated field birders and 3 feeder watchers counted 8,748 individual birds from 61 total species on count day. Both numbers were just slightly below our 10 year averages.
The highlight of the day was probably 2 Turkey Vultures each seen individually by two widely separated parties in the count circle. This is only the 5th record for the count. We posted record high counts for 2 species. Fourteen Bald Eagles were counted, breaking the record of 11 set in 2022. Four Yellow-belled Sapsuckers just slipped ahead of the record of 3 from 2008 & 2016. Sapsuckers have only been reported on 22 of our 56 counts so 4 in one year is a good number.
Other noteworthy birds include: 2 Northern Shrikes (seen on 28 out of 56 counts), 1 Hermit Thrush (24/56), 1 Winter Wren (15/56), 5 Snow Buntings (25/56), 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet (12/56), and 1 Common Grackle (35/56). A few regular species were counted in numbers higher than average. They are listed here with their 10 year averages and maximum high counts in parentheses: Mallard – 263 (192, 789), Eastern Screech-Owl – 13 (7, 19), Carolina Wren – 15 (9, 24), Dark-eyed Junco – 834 (352, 925), and White-throated Sparrow – 8 (3, 14).
The only regular species that was lower than average was Mourning Dove with only 262 counted compared to its 10 year average of 588. The biggest miss this year was Belted Kingfisher which has been reported on 47 of the 56 counts. Other misses were Red-headed Woodpecker (40/56) and Pine Siskin (34/56). Although there have been a few reports of Pine Siskin in southern Michigan, this does not seem to be shaping up as a good winter for them.
Golden Eagles have become somewhat regular during the winter months in the Dalton Road area in recent years. One has been reported a few times this fall, most recently on December 7th. A great deal of effort was expended in search of that bird on count day, but it was not to be found. A search was also made at both dawn and dusk for Short-eared Owls at the traditional Hawkins Road spot without avail. However, a Short-eared Owl was seen there the day before, so it will be added to the list as a count week bird.
A big thank you to all of the team leaders and participants. Each of you helped to make this count a success. Mark your calendars for the 57th count which will take place on Saturday, December 20th, 2025.
Species List:
Canada Goose
|
1100
|
Mute Swan
|
44
|
Trumpeter Swan
|
3
|
Tundra Swan
|
5
|
Mallard
|
263
|
American Black Duck
|
2
|
Wild Turkey
|
140
|
Ring-necked Pheasant
|
1
|
Rock Pigeon
|
213
|
Mourning Dove
|
262
|
Sandhill Crane
|
2285
|
Ring-billed Gull
|
89
|
Great Blue Heron
|
2
|
Turkey Vulture
|
2
|
Sharp-shinned Hawk
|
4
|
Cooper's Hawk
|
10
|
accipiter species
|
1
|
Northern Harrier
|
7
|
Bald Eagle
|
14
|
Red-shouldered Hawk
|
1
|
Red-tailed Hawk
|
45
|
Rough-legged Hawk
|
1
|
Eastern Screech-Owl
|
13
|
Great Horned Owl
|
1
|
Barred Owl
|
2
|
Short-eared Owl
|
cw
|
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
|
4
|
Red-bellied Woodpecker
|
75
|
Downy Woodpecker
|
68
|
Hairy Woodpecker
|
19
|
Pileated Woodpecker
|
5
|
Northern Flicker
|
20
|
American Kestrel
|
8
|
Northern Shrike
|
2
|
Blue Jay
|
325
|
American Crow
|
142
|
Black-capped Chickadee
|
214
|
Tufted Titmouse
|
97
|
Horned Lark
|
8
|
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
|
1
|
Golden-crowned Kinglet
|
16
|
White-breasted Nuthatch
|
129
|
Red-breasted Nuthatch
|
3
|
Brown Creeper
|
3
|
Winter Wren
|
1
|
Carolina Wren
|
15
|
European Starling
|
809
|
Eastern Bluebird
|
136
|
Hermit Thrush
|
1
|
American Robin
|
131
|
Cedar Waxwing
|
109
|
House Sparrow
|
289
|
House Finch
|
87
|
Purple Finch
|
10
|
American Goldfinch
|
151
|
Snow Bunting
|
5
|
American Tree Sparrow
|
352
|
Dark-eyed Junco
|
834
|
White-throated Sparrow
|
8
|
Song Sparrow
|
3
|
Swamp Sparrow
|
1
|
Common Grackle
|
1
|
Northern Cardinal
|
156
|
Eastern Bluebird (Nolan Williams)
Turkey Vulture (Nolan Williams)
Purple Finch (female) (Nolan Williams)
Northern Shrike (Nolan Williams)
Black-capped Chickadee (Mike Bowen)
Northern Harrier (Mike Bowen)
Eastern Bluebird (Mike Bowen)
Red-tailed Hawk (Mike Bowen)
American Kestrel (Mike Bowen)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Mike Bowen)