120th Christmas Bird Count

The 120th CBC was held from December 14th 2019 through January 5th 2020. Information and results of the local counts are below.

Sioux City Cbc

Saturday, December 14, 2019. Temperatures ranged from the teens to the low 20’s under partly cloudy skies with a light breeze. Twenty-four birders in the field and 4 feeder watchers found 59 species and counted 7,161 total birds. A Red-breasted Nuthatch was also recorded as a Count Week bird. Some of the highlights included Belted Kingfisher, Winter Wren, Carolina Wren, Spotted Towhee, Red Crossbill, Common Redpoll, Eastern Screech Owl, Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl, Northern Pintail, and Green-winged Teal. Another amazing highlight is the fact that Sioux City birder Bob Nickolson has been working this count since 1947 or 73 counts! The compilation of species and numbers was preceded with chili and soup and other delicious goodies. A listing of the species counted can be seen below.

Westfield CBC

Tuesday, December 17, 2019. The Westfield CBC was held as scheduled on 12-17-2019. 25 birders recorded 45 species and counted 3257 birds. Highlights included 6 species of waterfowl, Eastern Screech Owl, Barred Owl, and Carolina Wren. A delicious lunch of Chili and Soup and numerous other treats, desserts, and beverages were enjoyed at the Zale’s home before we compiled the morning results. Some of the birders searched for additional birds after lunch to add to the count before calling it a day. A listing of the species seen and counted can be found below. Compilers: Bill and Dotty Zales

Ponca State Park CBC

Wednesday, December 18, 2019. Ponca State Park had a successful Christmas Bird Count. Fourteen people participated and were divided into six groups. One party spent the early morning owling. We found 52 species and counted 6,732 total birds. Highlights included Snow Bunting, Rusty Blackbird, Long-eared Owl, Golden Crowned Kinglet, Harris's Sparrow, Merlin, Rough-legged Hawk, and a number of Northern Shrikes. We added our first Hooded Merganser to our cumulative Christmas Bird Count list and had a record number of 114 Blue Jays. The most numerous bird counted was the 3000 Snow Geese. In the future, we hope to continue tracking bird species during the Christmas Bird Count at Ponca State Park. A listing of the species seen and counted can be found below. Compilers Maria Korver and Bill Huser

Ida County CBC

Saturday, January 4, 2020. The Ida County CBC was held under sunny skies and cool temperatures. Seven parties of 14 birders from Ida, Woodbury and Carroll Counties found 39 total species and counted 5,028 total birds. Many thanks for all who helped. Highlights included 6 Long-eared Owls, Great Horned Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, 9 free-flying Trumpeter Swans, 1 male Wood Duck hanging out with a small flock of Mallards, 2 Eastern Bluebirds, 20 Bald Eagles, and 3,681 Canada Geese. Three species not found on count day but seen during count week included Barred Owl, Short-eared Owl, and a pair of Northern Pintails. One Sioux City birder got to see a Northern Saw-whet Owl as a life bird. The counters enjoyed a lunch of chili and other goodies around noon plus pie and ice cream later in the day at the compile! Compiler: Don Poggensee.

A listing of the species counted can be seen below.

• Canada Goose- 3,681

• Mallard- 45

• Trumpeter Swan- 9

• Wood Duck- 1

• Ring-necked Pheasant- 398

• Bald Eagle- 20

• Cooper’s Hawk- 1

• Red-tailed Hawk-14

• Rough-legged Hawk- 1

• Rock Pigeon- 16

• Eurasian Collared-dove- 71

• Mourning Dove- 10

• Great Horned Owl-1

• Long-eared Owl- 6

• Northern Saw-whet Owl- 1

• Red-bellied Woodpecker- 5

• Downy Woodpecker- 6

• Hairy Woodpecker- 1

• Northern Flicker- 1

• American Kestrel- 2

• Blue Jay- 86

• American Crow- 58

• Horned Lark- 25

• Black-capped Chickadee- 3

• White-breasted Nuthatch- 9

• Eastern Bluebird-2

• American Robin- 12

• European Starling- 118

• Cedar Waxwing- 4

• House Sparrow- 214

• House Finch- 51

• American Goldfinch- 1

• American Tree Sparrow- 13

• Harris’s Sparrow-2

• Dark-eyed Junco- 114

• Western Meadowlark- 4

• Red-winged Blackbird- 7

• Brown-headed Cowbird- 5

• Northern Cardinal- 10

Yankton CBC

Sunday, December 15, 2019. Twenty-seven people participated in the Yankton Christmas Bird Count on an overcast day. The day started at 13 degrees and there were snow flurries most of the day. Twenty-three people worked as field observers while four counted birds at their feeders. People who worked the count came from Vermillion, Sioux Falls, and Yankton, South Dakota; Sioux City, Iowa; and South Sioux City and Wayne, Nebraska. The group found a total of 75 species of birds with a total number of 6945 total birds. The highest species count was 82 in 2012 followed by 80 in 2013 and 79 in 2018.

 Highlights of the day were Ruby-crowned Kinglet recorded for the fourth time ever, Northern Saw-whet Owl recorded for the third time, Ross’s Goose for the fourth time, Greater Scaup for the sixth time, Pied-billed Grebe for the eighth time, Lapland Longspur for the fourteenth time, and Northern Goshawk for the seventeenth time. Highest count ever for Horned Larks of 719, previous high was 679 in 2010. The most Ring-necked Pheasants we have seen at sixty compared to the previous three years of six, three, and five. Last time we had near this year’s number was 58 in 2013. Surprisingly, the numbers of the invasive Eurasian- Collared-Dove are trending downward from 381 in 2015 to 141 this year. A listing of the species counted can be seen below. Compiler: Roger Dietrich.