Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024 [CBC 125]
Historic count start date: 1939 (53 species on that first count)
Total number of Christmas Bird Counts: 70

CBCs missed: 15, mostly in 1940s and 1950s, and in 1995 due to a government shut down and in 2008 and 2009 for unknown reasons. (My guess is there was no compiler).

This year, 14 field birders enjoyed near record breaking warm temperatures and mostly clear skies all day, with gorgeous views of the Steens mountains and Frenchglen cliffs to the west where golden eagles were already checking out nest sites for breeding season, just months away. One of our earliest nesters along with great horned owls.

We welcomed two new local birders, Sarahi Felix De los Reye from the U.S. Forest Service and Jack Hansen the wildlife biologist at Roaring Springs Ranch in addition to 3 new out of town observers from the far distant west side of the state. Birding effort hit a recent high, especially walking effort due to the warm temperatures and no snow. Driving effort totaled 15.5 hours and 155 miles while walking effort totaled 27.5 hours and 39.5 miles! And who created all this effort? These people did!

Peter Olsoy
Katie Sorenson
Sally Works John Works
Henry Burton
Lauren Alfrey
Sarahi Felix De los Reye
Roy Sutcliffe
Teresa Wicks
Alexa Martinez
Travis Miller
Jack Hansen
Rick Vetter Count Compiler
Joan Suther Count Co-Compiler

Owling was enjoyable also due to pleasant nighttime weather which resulted in 3 hours and over 24 miles driving and 1 mile and 2 hours walking. This effort resulted in 77 species observed in the count circle, 3 short of last year’s record 80.

160 species have been observed on this CBC since 1939. No new species were added this year. There was a potential for a slightly higher count this year, but several possible species were not observed including pine siskin, loggerhead shrike and several sparrow species. 

Temperatures were extremely mild (32 -56 degrees) compared to last year’s moderately colder temperatures with fog and the record low of -18°F in 2022. The past 3 years provided a good representation of the different types of weather and birds. The best observer weather is not necessarily the best bird count weather.

The lack of snow, abundant open water, relatively high number of observers and a day of scouting before the count combined for a relatively high count. Our local refuge resident Zack McCoy missed the count (because he had to work), but left well-stocked bird feeders that attracted several species. Due to the unseasonably warm weather, birds had little interest in feeders or the seed we scattered in many key locations. But the white-footed deer mice had a party.

Krumbo Reservoir, Benson Pond, Boca Lake and Page Springs campground areas provided some of the best winter birding as usual and specialty species were picked up in their appropriate habitats, like chukars and owls. Krumbo Reservoir was completely free of ice as was Boca Lake and other bodies of still water. Only a few ponds were iced over from a cold spell 10 days before the count. Boca Lake provided a variety of water habitats for a diverse and abundant number of birds and a unique feeding relationship between swans and ring-necked ducks.

Knowing the rodent population in Harney County and many other places in the west (including our house and parked vehicles with food inside) exploded this year, it subsequently provided excellent views of owls and other raptors feeding on them. We were hoping for a good owl count. And it was!

Species Accounts: No new species were added to the count this year, but it was the first time a northern saw-whet owl was observed instead of just being heard in the distance.

Mild night and early morning weather resulted in favorable owling conditions that resulted in the observation of 6 owl species; western screech (2), northern saw-whet (1), short-eared (7), long-eared (5), great horned (4) and 1 barn owl during the day.

Many of the 90 swans on Boca lake had about 10 ring-necked ducks swimming around them, feeding on plant material that only the swans, with their long necks and humongous bills, could stir up while feeding on the bottom of the lake. Our view was a big white swan butt up in the air and ring-necked ducks diving repeatedly near the swan butt for a Christmas snack!

Boca Lake also had 73 common mergansers for a total of 79 on the count. The record is 110 in 1959. 25 hooded mergansers were also observed on Boca Lake, probably all feeding on tui chubs. The presence of these fish eating birds may indicate this could be great redband trout habitat with a little modification to East Canal. That’s what a retired fish biologist and refuge ecologist think about when they watch an event like this.

There was an odd occurrence that we have not figured out yet. Two freshly dead great blue herons in the water. One thought is a bald eagle became frustrated watching them catch fish and may have killed them. No evidence of being eaten, just missing feathers at base of wing.

The greater yellowlegs that were observed last year were at Roaring Springs Ranch HQ ponds this year.

Red-tailed hawk numbers increased dramatically to 44 compared to last years low numbers of 9 and 15 in 2022.

Rough-legged hawk numbers fell to 3 (the record low is 2) from last years low numbers of 6.

The best group of small birds included a flush of 5 wren species; Pacific, Bewick’s, Marsh, Canyon and Rock.

A record number of Northern Flickers were observed (80) equaling the old record in 1980.

NOTEWORTHY OBSERVATIONS (*= CBC Rare): Uncommon sightings will often be followed by a number in parentheses. That number indicates the number of times that species has been observed on CBCs since 1939, including this year.

Cackling goose 9* (6)
Snow goose 11 (10)
Barrow’s goldeneye 1 (31)
Cinnamon Teal 1 (4)
Redhead 1 (38)
Horned Grebe 1 (5)
Pied-billed grebe 4 (45)
Black crowned night-heron 1(13)
Virginia rail 5 (31)
Rock dove 2 (6) Flushed by a golden eagle in the cliffs above Frenchglen.
Say’s Phoebe 1* (4) also observed last year
American Dipper 1(52)
Yellow-rumped warbler 1 *(9)
White-crowned sparrow 1 (18)
Northern shrike 1 (63) almost a miss

NOTEWORTHY MISSES

Wilson’s snipe (56)
Loggerhead shrike (49)

OBSERVED LAST YEAR BUT NOT THIS YEAR

Black Phoebe 1*(1) new ct species 2023
Hammonds Flycatcher 1*(1) new ct species 2023
Loggerhead shrike 1 (49)
California scrub-jay 1*(7)
Brown creeper 1*(3)
Varied thrush 1* (8)
American tree sparrow 2 (26)
Lincoln’s sparrow 1* (8)
White-throated sparrow 2* (4)

MAMMALS

Several mammals were observed including 3 raccoons, several muskrats, mule deer and many cottontail rabbits and hundreds of meadow voles and white footed deer mice. Hopefully the muskrat population can recover from the 1980s flood that killed over 100,000. Just a few hundred now.

Black tailed jackrabbits are so few and far in-between, we saw none! Golden eagles are hoping for a recovery.

White footed deer mice and voles were abundant and coyotes were observed enjoying the feast, mousing the fields. Three species of voles occur on the refuge with montane being the most common especially in grassland habitat, sagebrush and long-tailed voles also occur. You have to wonder how many voles are caught each day between the owls, northern harriers, American kestrels, herons and coyotes. That depends on how many voles are out there. Out of curiosity. Some simple math and rough estimates.

Based on available vole habitat at about 7000 ac out of the 31,000 ac in the count circle and a conservative estimate 1 vole per 10 square meters. That puts the vole population in the count circle on the refuge at 3.3 million! Knowing that a healthy refuge vole weighs 1.5 oz, there are 309,375 pounds of voles at the south end of the refuge! But probably decreasing daily with all that predation. Now, how much do they eat per day? Eating about 50% of their body weight per day indicates the vole population at the south end of the refuge consumes about 154,687 pounds of vegetation per day in a great year, like 2024!

Deer were common and one large buck that was recently killed and consumed by a cougar. No cougar, bighorn sheep, bobcats, beaver, mink, weasels, otters, or elk were observed.

Winter Birding Cheers,
CBC Compilers Rick Vetter and Joan Suther