The Kendall Christmas Bird Count was held on December 23, 2023. Early birders were subjected to pelting rainstorms, but fortunately most of the rain had moved through by about 9am; the rest of the day was mostly cloudy, and getting breezy in the afternoon. Especially in the afternoon, the winds caused birds to stay low and stay quiet.
In all, we tallied 139 species, plus 7 exotics and 1 taxon (Selasphorus hummingbird). New for the Count day were 2 separate Ash-throated Flycatchers (at R. Hardy Matheson and in southwest Kendall), and a Sandwich Tern at Black Point. A new exotic, White-eyed Parakeet, was also found. In addition, there were 3 Count Week birds – the long-present Red-headed Woodpecker at Matheson, a Hooded Warbler at AD Barnes, and the Black-throated Gray Warbler (also a new bird for the Count) that turned up at Pine Woods Park on Christmas morning.
Other highlights included 2 Western Kingbirds, 2 Western Tanagers, Hermit Thrush, Blue Grosbeak, and American Robin, all of which have been previously seen 3 times or less on the Count. Oddly enough, we did not have a single swallow of any species.
As we like to brag, the Kendall Count is “Where America’s Warblers Winter”; the Count routinely leads the nation in certain numbers of neotropical migrants, and although we did not approach our historic numbers, we rebounded nicely from last year’s cold-induced low tallies, and tied our all-time high for Orange-crowned Warbler (27).
As I’ve written on many recent summaries, the lack of available lake/marsh-type habitat for fresh water ducks and non-coastal shorebirds continues, and these birds are simply disappearing from the Count Circle. Aside from ubiquitous Muscovy Ducks, “Mallards” and Egyptian Geese, we had only 4 Mottled Ducks. That is the entire list of pond ducks. There were NO Blue-winged Teal for the first time ever. We also had only 2 Ring-necked Ducks, but we did, however, tally 6 Lesser Scaup. Least Sandpiper was missed for the fourth straight year, after having been seen on 16 of the first 17 counts, and Long-billed Dowitcher was missed for the second year in a row. On the plus side, we tied our all-time high (14) of Spotted Sandpipers.
Once again, thanks to our feeder watchers, who contributed key birds (including the only House Finch). It would be great if more backyard birders would provide their yard/feeder lists. Who knows where we could be if more people in Coral Gables, Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay, and Kendall would spend just one hour surveying their yards and feeders!
On a personal note, this was my last year as Compiler, having served since 2006. I’ve enjoyed being Compiler, and especially loved all my birding friends who have so generously participated every year! Luis Gonzalez will be taking over as compiler for the 2024 Count, and I hope you will all continue to support this very important count.
Thank you again to all the participants:
Alex Harper, Alyssa Crittenden, Amanda Mayo, Andrea Diamond, Betty Hernandez, Bonnie Masdeu, Brian Rapoza, Carlos Sanchez, Cheryl Moffett, Christina Mayo, Cynthia Gonzalez, Dan Smyth, Elizabeth Gushee, Frank Ridgely and all the Zoo volunteers (Allison Huss, Christina Whelen, Ezequiel Bugallo, Hailey Beauperthuy, Josephine Whelen, Kibby Treiber, Larry Hembree, Lucas Whelan, Nancy Hembree, Russell Martin, Scott Daniel) Gabriella Espinoza, Gemma Henderson, Glenn Huberman, Hans Gozembach, Homer Gardin, Jack Crittenden, James Gersing, James Jones, Jeanette Rawls, Jeanne Kaufman, Joe Barros, Joseph Montes de Oca, Kevin Sarsfield, Lianne D’Arcy, Linda Rickerson, Luis Gonzalez, Michele Louden, Miriam Avello, Noah Frade, Omar Paez, Omilcar Barrio, Rachel DiPietro, Rangel Diaz, Roberto Torres, Roxanne Featherly, Scott Barkow, Silvia Bermudez, Stephen Paez, Steve Woodmansee.
As always, special thanks to the wonderful people at Zoo Miami, Fairchild Tropical Gardens, and Montgomery Botanical Center, who open their properties for us on the Count each year!
The bird list for Count Day (including exotics):
Mute Swan
Egyptian Goose
Muscovy Duck
Mallard
Mottled Duck
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Red-breasted Merganser
Indian Peafowl
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Rock Pigeon
White-crowned Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Common Ground-Dove
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Mangrove Cuckoo
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Rufous/Allen’s (selasphorus) Hummingbird
Common Gallinule
American Coot
Limpkin
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Ruddy Turnstone
Spotted Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Wilson’s Snipe
Bonaparte’s Gull
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Forster’s Tern
Royal Tern
Sandwich Tern
Wood Stork
Anhinga
Double-crested Cormorant
Brown Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
White Ibis
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Barn Owl
Eastern Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Burrowing Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Monk Parakeet
White-winged Parakeet
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
Orange-winged Parrot
Blue-and-yellow Macaw
Chestnut-fronted Macaw
White-eyed Parakeet
Mitred Parakeet
Red-masked Parakeet
Eastern Phoebe
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Western Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Loggerhead Shrike
Blue Jay
Fish Crow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Red-whiskered Bulbul
House Wren
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Common Myna
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Scaly-breasted Munia
House Sparrow
House Finch
Grasshopper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Spot-breasted Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Bronzed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Ovenbird
Worm-eating Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Cape May Warbler
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Summer Tanager
Western Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Painted Bunting