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Jordan Lake (NC) CBC




Jordan Lake Christmas Bird Count
December 30, 2001
Compiler's Notes

         The Jordan Lake (NC) Christmas Bird Count on 12/30/01 was the 
first typically wintry day after a fairly long period of very mild and very 
dry weather.  Our counters identified 95 species (same as last year), only 
a bit above our average of 93 for the preceding ten years.  Our total of 
14,649 individual birds was some 3,000 shy of our average and 8,000 (!) shy 
of last year's record (22,906).  We had 56 birders in 23 parties (about 
average for recent counts) who counted for 135 party-hours (also about 
average).  14,649 divided by 135 is approximately 109 birds per party 
hour.  This is our lowest ratio since 1994.  Why so low?  Two possibilities 
come to mind: a) the recent drought and/or b) the recent mild weather that 
might have allowed water fowl to linger further north.  (Of course, perhaps 
the relatively cold weather, after such a long mild spell, might have 
constrained a less hardy crew of counters, but I would never suspect such a 
response from our stalwart squad!)

         In spite of the low total, we did count a few record highs:  1,157 
Double-crested Cormorants (up from 1,075), 18 Bald Eagles (up from 16), 21 
Hairy Woodpeckers (up from 20), 54 Winter Wrens (up from 27), and 426 
Eastern Bluebirds (up from 414).  And we did find a few odd balls:  After 
working Harris Lake, Will Cook and Judy Teague poached a few good birds at 
Ebenezer Point.  Their best sighting was a group of 5 Tundra Swans flying 
overhead.  They also found 2 Common Mergansers, 1 American Black Duck (seen 
earlier by Harold Carter), and 2 Ruddy Ducks (probably the same birds seen 
by Tom Howard and Brian Bockhahn).  Tom and Brian also reported a 
Green-winged Teal, which they think may have been injured.  Pam Timmons and 
Perry Haaland had a Greater Yellowlegs on a mud flat exposed by the low 
lake level at Little Beaver Creek.  This is only the second winter record 
for our count!

         In the passerine department, Doug Shadwick and Jack McLain found a 
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and our sole Blue-headed Vireo of the day.  Tom 
Howard and Brian Bockhahn found a Black-and-White Warbler, as did Harold 
Carter.  John Frederick reported a Loggerhead Shrike, always iffy these 
days.  Terry and Barbara Logue found a couple of Common Yellowthroats, 
Rouse Wilson and Andy Upshaw pulled out a White-crowned Sparrow, and 
Barbara Roth, Betty King, Barbara Brooks, and Beth Duncan found one Rusty 
Blackbird.  The Roth contingent also scoped a partial albino American 
Goldfinch.  It had a yellow head atop an otherwise completely white 
body.  It was seen feeding with other Goldfinches, perched on a seed 
head.  Nice find.

Misses for the year?  Well, we always have a few.  No Turkeys, Woodcock, or 
Great Horned Owls.  No Red-breasted Nuthatches, Brown-headed Cowbirds, or 
Baltimore Orioles.  And although this may be a "finch year," our numbers 
were fairly low47 Purple Finches was above average, but we only had 8 Pine 
Siskins and 1 lone Evening Grosbeak sharing a mud puddle with a Cedar Waxwing.

For the record:  We had 56 birders in 23 parties.  They put in 135 party 
hours (100 on foot, 35 by car), 280 miles (82 on foot, 198 by car), and 4 
hours and 13.5 miles owling.  The weather was cold (28F to 42F) with winds 
increasing from calm at dawn to 10 mph in the afternoon.  The sky was 
overcast at dawn, but cleared quickly and remained clear for most of the 
day.  There was no precipitation.  No one reported significant ice coverage.

                                         Norm Budnitz

***********************************************************
Norman Budnitz, nbudnitz@duke.edu
919-684-3592 (day), 919-383-0553 (eve), 919-660-7293 (fax)

(work) Biology Dept, Duke Univ, Box 90338, Durham NC 27708
(home) 4115 Garrett Drive, Durham NC 27705

PROGRESS: the victory of laughter over dogma.
(Tom Robbins, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas)