The Kendall Christmas Bird Count was run on December 24, 2022. Intrepid birders must have wondered if there would be a white Christmas, as dawn temperatures of 45⁰ or less required some hot coffee to start the day (and, for those that joined us for the Compilation, some bourbon to end the day as well!)
Unfortunately, the low temperature, coupled with cold northwest winds, caused birds to stay low and stay quiet, and finding them was a major challenge. Almost every team commented on the lack of birds, and by how quiet it was. In all, we tallied 127 species, the lowest in over a decade, and the second-lowest total since I became Compiler in 2006 (we had 125 in 2008). We did get 2 Count Week birds – Whip-poor-will seen and heard by Dan Smyth, and a Western Kingbird found by Roberto Torres. For the first time, we had no new species for the Count list. We also missed a couple of our usual specialties, Red-whiskered Bulbul and Bronzed Cowbird.
There were some highlights - both Nashville Warbler and Wilson’s Warbler found by Noah, Miriam & Liz, another Nashville found by Rangel; a Yellow-breasted Chat found by Hans, Bill & Val; the continuing influx of Rufous Hummingbirds, with a total of 6 this year.
(Rufous Hummingbird @ AD Barnes, photo by Jared Schiller).
As we like to say, the Kendall Count is “Where America’s Warblers Winter”; this year, however, the cold was a struggle for the neotropicals. We had only 18 species of warblers for the day. Our count routinely leads the nation in certain numbers of neotropical migrants, but this year our numbers were significantly lower than the past few years. A comparison to last year’s bounty:
Ovenbird (14, LY 31), Black-and-white Warbler (86, LY 144), Cape May Warbler (2, LY 25), Northern Parula (61, LY 189), Magnolia Warbler (4, LY 13), Black-throated Blue Warbler (10, LY 50), Yellow-throated Warbler (26, LY 93), and Prairie Warbler (61, LY 161). And it wasn’t just the warblers; White-eyed Vireo (9, LY 24), Yellow-throated Vireo (9, LY 38), Blue-headed Vireo (21, LY 80), House Wren (4, LY 23), Blue-gray Gnatcatchers (370, LY 751), and Eastern Phoebe (28, LY 72) are illustrative. Almost all passerine numbers were significantly down from the last several years. Not all bad news, though: as most birders noticed, Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers were abundant; we totaled 626, a new high mark.
Lack of available marsh-type habitat for fresh water ducks and non-coastal shorebirds continues, and these birds are simply disappearing from the Circle. Aside from ubiquitous Muscovy Ducks, “Mallards” and Egyptian Geese, we had only 3 Blue-winged Teal, 6 Mottled Ducks, and 1 Northern Shoveler. We also had only a single Ring-necked Duck (after missing them altogether last year). Least Sandpiper was missed for the third straight year, after having been seen on 16 of the first 17 counts. Likewise, both Wilson’s Snipe and Long-billed Dowitcher were missed again, with both having been seen on 14 of 17 previous counts. We also reported only 1 Greater Yellowlegs, and no Lesser Yellowlegs. A Dunlin, though, was a nice find.
On a cold Christmas Eve we had good participation from local birders. It would be great if we could encourage more backyard birders to provide yard/feeder lists – those that did provided species that helped push up our overall numbers. 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!
Thank you to all who participated this year:
Alyssa Crittenden, Beatriz Hernandez, Bill Pranty, Bonnie Masdeu, Brandon Trentler, Brian Rapoza, Carlos Sanchez, Christina Mayo, Curt Miner, Dan Smyth, Eliana Kramer, Eddie Ibarra, Elizabeth Gushee, Frank Ridgely and all the Zoo volunteers [Alfred Fleureau, Christina Whelen, Josephine Whelen, Kimberly Treiber, Kevin Whelan, Rachael Peck, Russell Martin, and Steven Whitfield] Glenn Huberman, Hans Gozembach, Jack Crittenden, Jackie Guzy, James Gersing, James Jones, Jeanette Alvarez, Jeanette Rawls, Jeanne Kaufman, Jorge Wolfe, Julian Campuzano, Luis Gonzalez, Mark Kramer, Michelle Davis, Michele Louden, Miriam Avello, Nahuel Medina, Noah Frade, Omar Paez, Omilcar Barrio, Rangel Diaz, Roberto Torres, Roxanne Featherly, Stephen Paez, Steve Woodmansee, Troy Henderson, Valeri Ponzo, and Wendy Teas. Also, thanks to Tosca & Melissa Lichtenfeld, Allison Goodman, Judith Cromwell, Timothy & Maria Zhang, Lorena Siquera, and Jared Schiller, who joined me at A.D. Barnes Park.
We hope you will all be able to join us again next year!
Finally, very 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 (including exotics):
Mute Swan
Egyptian Goose
Muscovy Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Mallard
Mottled Duck
Ring-necked Duck
Red-breasted Merganser
Indian Peafowl
Pied-billed Grebe
Rock Pigeon
White-crowned Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
King Rail
Common Gallinule
American Coot
Limpkin
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Ruddy Turnstone
Dunlin
Spotted Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Bonaparte’s Gull
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Forster’s Tern
Royal Tern
Wood Stork
Anhinga
Double-crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
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
Glossy 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
Burrowing Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Monk Parakeet
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
Orange-winged Parrot
Blue-and-yellow Macaw
Chestnut-fronted Macaw
Mitred Parakeet
Red-masked Parakeet
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Loggerhead Shrike
Blue Jay
Fish Crow
Tufted Titmouse
Tree Swallow
Cave Swallow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
House Wren
European Starling
Common Myna
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Scaly-breasted Munia
House Sparrow
House Finch
Savannah Sparrow
Yellow-breasted Chat
Eastern Meadowlark
Spot-breasted Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Cape May Warbler
Northern Parula
Magnolia 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
Northern Cardinal
Painted Bunting