4 January 2003 -- Count Summary
(Count History: January
1978 - January 2003)
Species reported Count Day:
132 (+ 2 additional form + 2 exotics)
(+ 2 species Count Week but not count day)
Total individual birds reported Count Day: 42,089
Participants: 136 (97 in the field + 39 at feeders/YARD), HIGHEST IN TEXAS, 21st Overall!4 January 2003. Phenomenally gorgeous weather likely contributed to an all-time high 97 observers in the field (previous high = 68) and an all-time high 136 total observers (previous high = 118). This made the 26 th Buffalo Bayou Christmas Bird Count the most popular count in Texas in the 103 rd CBC season. Thanks to all who participated in this record setting effort.
The high number of participants in turn contributed to an all-time high species count of 132 -- also to high counts of individuals of many species, including establishing or equaling all-time highs for Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Green Heron, Black Vulture, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Osprey, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Merlin, Spotted Sandpiper, Ring-billed Gull, Eurasian Collared-Dove, White-winged Dove, Budgerigar (exotic), Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Winter Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler, Pine Warbler, Northern Cardinal, and House Finch.
New to count were Roseate Spoonbill, Vermilion Flycatcher, Tropical Parula, American Redstart, and Louisiana Waterthrush (plus the Count Week Western Tanager).
Two tremendously strong and rapid fronts that blew across Texas on 23 and 30 December likely contributed to some of the unusual species observed such as Tropical Parula, Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) Warbler, and the Count Week Western Tanager and Bullock's Oriole). Other species of note were Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Nashville Warbler, Spotted Towhee, Common Goldeneye, Henslow's Sparrow, and Northern (Red-shafted) Flicker.
And we had our usual selection of species that rarely are recorded on the count but are more common in less urbanized areas immediately surrounding the count circle.
Significant loss of habitat continues in the commercial & residential areas of the count circle.
--Bob Honig, Compiler
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(Buffalo Bayou Christmas Bird Count web pages are hosted by the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center)