2009 Christmas Bird Count Braves Winter Weather

	Brown-headed Nuthatch sighted was only the 2nd record for Fairfax County ever. Photo by Dan Sudia.

Preliminary results from the two Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) in our area, the Fort Belvoir Count and the Washington D.C. Count, which includes the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve, are described below by their respective compilers, both of whom are FODMers.   Christmas Bird Counts, sponsored by the Audubon society, are census counts of birds in the Western Hemisphere, conducted by volunteers during the early Northern Hemisphere winter.

Washington, D.C. - Well, it finally happened. Generally we have been blessed with fairly decent or at least tolerable weather during the D.C. Christmas Bird Count.  This year was different. It is winter after all!  Originally scheduled for December 19, 2009, the count had to be postponed until January 2, 2010 following the now famous 18-inch snowfall.  The snow was gone by January 2, but count day blessed us with maximum winds up to 35 miles per hour.

Despite windy conditions, the teams surveying the DMWP and points north up to Daingerfield Island found some pretty good birds. Small songbirds that confine their foraging activities to the trees were difficult to find in some cases, but birds that make their living in low bushes are on the ground were well represented in some instances. How about this figure for example? The teams recorded an impressive number of over 150 Northern Cardinals--a common bird for sure, but still impressive. The teams there also tallied some rarities, the most surprising a Black-and-white Warbler followed by two Orange-crowned Warblers and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.  Dyke Marsh yielded an American Tree Sparrow.  Finally, waterfowl diversity was greater than in previous counts, with highlights being a Greater White-fronted Goose, a Cackling Goose, a Greater Scaup, 15 Canvasbacks, and four Redheads.

       -- Larry Cartwright, Compiler, Washington D.C. CBC

Ft. Belvoir - Despite two weeks of snowy, cold weather and low temperatures on January 3, 2010 further depressed with 20-40 mph winds, the preliminary species total for the Fort Belvoir CBC is an outstanding 111, a bit below the historical average of 113 to 114.

Highlights were: Cackling Goose, Occoquan Bay NWR; Great Egret, Fort Belvoir; Merlin, OBNWR, Mason Neck and Mount Vernon; Peregrine Falcon, Leesylvania State Park; Virginia Rail, Huntley Meadows; King Rails, Huntley Meadows; Glaucous Gull, Mason Neck Hallowing Pt. Estates; Brown-headed Nuthatch, Fountainhead Park - ONLY the second occurrence in Fairfax County EVER; Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Hard Bargain Farm, MD; Yellow-throated Warbler, Indian Head, MD; Common Yellowthroat, Burke Lake area; Brewer's Blackbird, Mason Neck Hallowing Pt Estates.

The weather notwithstanding, this was a fine count and shows not only the diversity of habitats and species in our area but that we have a dedicated and fine group of volunteers.  Kudos to the counters!

        -- Kurt Gaskill, Compiler, Fort Belvoir CBC

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