Christmas Bird Count sets record

A record 56 bird species were spotted by more than 50 bird-watchers during the Audubon Society’s Dec. 15 Orono-Old Town Christmas Bird Count. The record number is attributable to the warm fall and the prevalence of open water, enabling many water birds to stay north later than usual, according to experts.

This year’s count included: common loon, 5; snow goose, 1; Canada goose, 132; black duck, 52; mallard, 342; lesser scaup, 1; bufflehead, 1; common goldeneye, 99; Barrow’s goldeneye, 22; common merganser, 121; hooded merganser, 45; osprey, 1; bald eagle, 6 adults, 3 immature; sharp-shinned hawk, 2; ruffed grouse, 7; pheasant, 1; black-headed gull, 1; herring gull, 64; great black-backed gull, 9; ring-billed gull, 25; rock dove, 326; mourning dove, 459; kingfisher, 1; downy woodpecker, 21; hairy woodpecker, 21; black-backed woodpecker, 1; flicker, 1; pileated woodpecker, 4; blue jay, 84; crow, 302; raven, 17; black-capped chickadee, 449; tufted titmouse, 17; red-breasted nuthatch, 40; white-breasted nuthatch, 51; brown creeper, 2; golden-crowned kinglet, 9; robin, 13; mockingbird, 1; Bohemian waxwing, 781; starling, 455; cardinal, 32; tree sparrow, 12; song sparrow, 4; white-throated sparrow, 6; junco, 34; snow bunting, 1; pine grosbeak, 291; purple finch, 6; house finch, 58; white-winged crossbill, 6; common redpoll, 254; hoary redpoll, 2; goldfinch, 165; evening grosbeak, 25; house sparrow, 193.

These were rare finds: black-headed gull (a mostly European species), hoary redpoll, lesser scaup and black-backed woodpecker. These were out-of-season: loon, bufflehead, Canada goose, snow goose, hooded merganser, osprey, kingfisher, flicker. Other highlights were the unusually high numbers of Bohemian waxwings, pine grosbeaks, and redpolls. Notable absences were pine siskin, shrike and snowy owl.

Twenty-five birders and 25 feeder-watchers amassed these numbers. An average number for this bird count is 45 species.

Bangor, Hampden, Winterport, Brewer, Orrington and Bucksport residents who want to participate in the Dec. 29 Bangor-Bucksport bird count may call the Fields Pond Nature Center at 989-2591.