Saturday, December 26, 2015

Pawnee National Grasslands Christmas Count

December 17, 2015

Bryan Ehlmann:

The snow finally let up and eight of us conducted the Pawnee National Grasslands CoBus Christmas Count today.  Many roads had a foot of snow or drifts of more.  Temperatures never reached 30 degrees.

Highlights were:

Eastern Screech-Owl & Long-eared Owl at Crow Valley Campgrounds.
Northern Saw-whet Owl (2 private ranches)
Short-eared Owl (1 private ranch)
Snow Bunting (CPER land, CR 114)
Rosy Finches (8 Gray-crowned Rosy Finches visiting a private ranch since 12/14.
Brown Thrasher (late leaving Crow Valley Campground)

Other birds:
Snow Goose - 2
Cackling Goose - 2
Canada Goose - 100+
Wood Duck - 1
Sharp-tailed Grouse - 6 - (but not countable, however see new aba rules)
Great Blue Heron - 1 - flyover
Bald Eagle - 2 - flyover
Northern Harrier - 7
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 19
Ferruginous Hawk - 3
Rough-legged Hawk - 7
Golden Eagle - 2
American Kestrel - 14
Merlin - 1 male
Prairie Falcon - 2
Sandhill Crane - 10 - flyover
Killdeer - 4
Wilson's Snipe - 2
Ring-billed Gull - 6 - flyover
California Gull - 1 - flyover
Rock Pigeon - 62
Eurasian Collared-Dove - 28
White-winged Dove - 1
Mourning Dove - 78
Great Horned Owl - 2
Belted Kingfisher - 1
Green Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker - 4
Hairy Woodpecker - 2
Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Northern Flicker - 14
Gilded Flicker
Northern Shrike - 3
Blue Jay - 21
Western Scrub-Jay - 1
Black-billed Magpie - 53
American Crow - 26
Common Raven - 4
Horned Lark - 600+
Black-capped Chickadee - 12
Mountain Chickadee - 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 4
White-breasted Nuthatch - 11
Brown Creeper - 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 2
Yellow-browed Warbler - 4
Mountain Bluebird - 4
American Robin - 10
European Starling - 140
American Pipit - 21
Cedar Waxwing - 8
American Tree Sparrow - 14
White-crowned Sparrow - 37
Lapland Longspur - 250+
Red-winged Blackbird - 124
Brewer's Blackbird - 8
Pine Siskin - 15
Evening Grosbeak - 1
House Sparrow - 1200+

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