Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Robins bob, bob, bobbing along, but not other species

By BARBARA BEHRENDT
Published January 6, 2007

CRYSTAL RIVER - The two dozen volunteers who blanketed west Citrus County last week to take the annual bird census certainly had no trouble locating one bird type.

They spotted hundreds more robins than all the other birds they counted put together.

In numbers released this week, the bird counters charted nearly 13,000 robins and a total count of birds reaching 23,717. Only two other times since the local bird count began in 1987 have more individual birds been spotted.

On the other hand, while there were plenty of birds, the number of species represented dropped slightly from last year to 127.

In the past, the count has turned up as many as 135 different species.

The bird census is part of the national Audubon Christmas Bird Count conducted nationwide. More than 50,000 observers take to the nation's fields, shorelines, waterways and woodlands with binoculars and bird books in hand to compile the census of early winter bird populations.

For information on the national census, visit www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/index.html.

In Citrus County, the count includes an area fanning out in a 71/2-mile radius centered at the Crystal River Airport.

A large flock of cedar waxwings feeding on cedar berries was the biggest treat this time around for Citrus Audubon Society president Jim Bierly.

While that is not a particularly rare bird, Bierly said it was exciting to see so many of the waxwings enjoying one of their favorite foods in the Ozello zone where Bierly helped count.

This count turned up few surprises, but the trend continues that some birds that once were spotted each year are not seen at all.

Red cockaded woodpeckers, burrowing owls and scrub jays have been missing from the count for several years. Also missing were several species of rails and ducks that have been seen in the past. Green herons, usually fairly common, were also not spotted, Bierly said.

Some of those birds missing from the count could simply be reacting to tides or weather conditions here or, if they migrate, they may have not gotten this far into the state due to the warm winter elsewhere, he said.

The count continues to turn up a good number of birds of prey, with 10 adult and eight immature bald eagles, 34 osprey and a variety of hawks and owls.

Bierly said he was not sure if any of the counters had seen any of the resident whooping cranes that are part of the experimental reintroduction project. Last year one was seen. Audubon rules prevent the counters from adding the whooping cranes to the official list at this time, he said.

For the first time, a bird count was also conducted in the northeast quadrant of Citrus and the southern Marion County area, said Dick Blewett, an avid Citrus birder who participated in both counts. Information on the new count area was not immediately available.

While Citrus Audubon members haven't gathered locally yet to examine the 2006 numbers, Bierly said the count results have continued to demonstrate the impact on wildlife of a growing community like Citrus County.

Northern bobwhites are a good example. They used to be seen in numbers as large as the cardinal and blue jay populations but for the second year in a row, none of the ground-dwelling birds were spotted.

"You can tell year after year that some birds that used to be fairly common are now almost rare in this county," he said. "Some birds adapt and some birds do not."

Barbara Behrendt can be reached at 564-3621 or behrendt@sptimes.com.

[Last modified January 5, 2007, 19:57:18]