Christmas Bird Count (CBC)
The National Audubon Society has been performing Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) across the United States for more than 100 years. Yakima Valley Audubon Society’s CBC has been continuously carried out for more than 50 years! The count is undertaken by teams of birders in a single 24 hour period in late December each year. Counting starts before dawn with owl tracking (mostly by sound identifying) and continuing throughout the day. The teams work within the same 15-mile diameter circle that has been registered with National Audubon. This is an intense and exciting event for all participants and birders of all levels are welcome to participate on one of the expert lead teams. Contact us to take part.
Yakima Valley Christmas Bird Count 2023
On Saturday, Dec. 30th, the Yakima CBC was held: 17 observers were in 8 teams plus 1 feeder watcher. The morning started out warm, with an overnight low of 37, but was met with cloudy conditions and a light drizzle much of the morning. The warm weather allowed most water, flowing and still, to be open. The afternoon resulted in mild temperatures of mid to upper 40s with partial sunbreaks. The 17 observers found 82 species on count day plus two count week birds and 14,311 individuals. The 82 species is higher than the all-time average of 74 species but lower than the most recent 10-year average of 90 species. The number of birds was both lower than the all-time average of 15,252 and much lower than the 10-year average of 16,547.
There were a few notable species found and a few notable misses. For this analysis, we consider a notable species to be a species has been seen on 10 or fewer years out of the 54-year history of the count. A notable miss is if the species has been recorded at least 20 years out of the count history. A Eurasian Wigeon was found in a pond off 40th Ave near Highway 12, likely a recurring bird as a male has been seen in recent years in that same location. A Peregrine Falcon was found in Yakima, for only the 9th time on the count, yet annually for the last five years. A White-breasted Nuthatch was found in residential Yakima for a count week bird. There was a large-scale irruption of this species earlier in the fall and this individual could be part of thar event. An American Tree Sparrow was found on the Yakima Training Center and a pair of finches, Red Crossbill and Lesser Goldfinch, rounded out the notable species. Both finches were found in residential neighborhoods of Yakima. Red Crossbill was recorded on the count for the 3rd time and Lesser Goldfinch was noted for the 9th time, yet all nine occurrences have occurred in the past 10 years. Notable misses included Lesser Scaup, Prairie Falcon, Northern Shrike, Brown Creeper, Horned Lark and Brown-headed Cowbird.
Notable numbers included new high counts for Cackling Goose (170) and Northern Shoveler (82). Species substantially above average numbers were, 2023 numbers/average, Common Goldeneye (375/110), California Scrub-Jay (86/35), American Robin (951/644), Purple Finch (27/12), Spotted Towhee (50/27). Many species were substantially below the average, though suspect below average coverage of the circle has some contributing factors. Hooded Merganser (8/38), Ring-necked Pheasant (7/21), Rock Pigeon (173/566), Great Blue Heron (16/40), Black-billed Magpie (153/487), Golden-crowned Kinglet (3/22), House Sparrow (528/1099), Dark-eyed Junco (418/890), Red-winged Blackbird (130/731), Brewer’s Blackbird (92/303).
Thank you to all the counters who participated and your effort. I would like to end with a notable statistic that summarizes the effort well. Combined, counters walked an estimated 33 miles. That equates to an average of more than 4 miles per team, with some teams walking 6-8 miles. Thank you to all for your efforts!
~Submitted by Scott Downes, CBC leader and Compiler
Great Egret at dawn, photo: Sarah Shippen
American Tree Sparrow (2016 Yakima CBC), photo: Karen Zook
Great Egret and Double-crested Cormorant, photo: Sarah Shippen