The Vashon Island Audubon Society sponsors the Vashon Island Christmas Bird Count (CBC) year on the Sunday after Christmas, as a part of the worldwide Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count citizen science bird census. Each year I help out on a part of the Vashon Island CBC that takes place in Kitsap County on the mainland part of the count circle. Each CBC takes place in a 15 mile diameter circle where birders try to count as many birds as possible within the count circle area. The Vashon Island count circle includes a big part of Vashon Island, a part of the Puget Sound waters between the island and the mainland, and an area of land off the island in both Pierce and Kitsap counties.
Ken Brown is in charge of the census in a part of the area of the circle off the island and in Kitsap County and I try to help with the count in that area.
Today Ken, Heather V. and I did the count together, and we had a very good day. We started with owling at 4 AM, and by daybreak had found 4 species of owls, Barred, Great-horned, Northern Saw Whet, and Northern Pygmy Owls. We had 3 Barred Owls and one each of the others. This is a bit better than our typical 2-3 species on this count day.
Weather was good the rest of the day and we managed a total of 67 species. I didn't try to take photos as the day was fast paced and busy counting birds, so rather than photos here is the eBird day summary:
Summary
Dec 30 Dec 31 Jan 1 Jan 2 Jan 3 Jan 4 Jan 5
Number of Species 67 -- -- -- -- -- --
Number of Individuals 1,615 -- -- -- -- -- --
Number of Checklists 13 -- -- -- -- -- --
Species Name Total Number of Birds (number of locations the bird was seen at)
Dec 30
Cackling Goose 1
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Canada Goose 33
(2) -- -- -- -- -- --
Northern Shoveler 17
(3) -- -- -- -- -- --
Gadwall 5
(2) -- -- -- -- -- --
American Wigeon 37
(2) -- -- -- -- -- --
Mallard 208
(5) -- -- -- -- -- --
Mallard (Domestic type) 1
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Northern Pintail 4
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Green-winged Teal 12
(2) -- -- -- -- -- --
Canvasback 1
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Greater Scaup 45
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Lesser Scaup 26
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Bufflehead 76
(2) -- -- -- -- -- --
Hooded Merganser 20
(2) -- -- -- -- -- --
Common Merganser 10
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Ruddy Duck 1
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Pied-billed Grebe 35
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Eurasian Collared-Dove 1
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Mourning Dove 1
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Anna's Hummingbird 5
(3) -- -- -- -- -- --
Virginia Rail 2
(2) -- -- -- -- -- --
American Coot 145
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Killdeer 6
(2) -- -- -- -- -- --
Wilson's Snipe 7
(2) -- -- -- -- -- --
Glaucous-winged Gull 11
(3) -- -- -- -- -- --
Double-crested Cormorant 21
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Great Blue Heron 3
(2) -- -- -- -- -- --
Cooper's Hawk 2
(2) -- -- -- -- -- --
Bald Eagle 6
(4) -- -- -- -- -- --
Red-tailed Hawk 5
(4) -- -- -- -- -- --
Great Horned Owl 1
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Northern Pygmy-Owl 1
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Barred Owl 3
(2) -- -- -- -- -- --
Northern Saw-whet Owl 1
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Belted Kingfisher 6
(2) -- -- -- -- -- --
Red-breasted Sapsucker 1
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Hairy Woodpecker 1
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Pileated Woodpecker 1
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Northern Flicker 9
(5) -- -- -- -- -- --
Hutton's Vireo 3
(2) -- -- -- -- -- --
Steller's Jay 12
(4) -- -- -- -- -- --
American Crow 23
(3) -- -- -- -- -- --
Common Raven 6
(4) -- -- -- -- -- --
Black-capped Chickadee 34
(5) -- -- -- -- -- --
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 4
(2) -- -- -- -- -- --
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Brown Creeper 3
(2) -- -- -- -- -- --
Marsh Wren 2
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Bewick's Wren 6
(2) -- -- -- -- -- --
Golden-crowned Kinglet 6
(3) -- -- -- -- -- --
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
American Robin 122
(8) -- -- -- -- -- --
European Starling 132
(5) -- -- -- -- -- --
House Finch 1
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Purple Finch 2
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Pine Siskin 140
(2) -- -- -- -- -- --
American Goldfinch 37
(2) -- -- -- -- -- --
Fox Sparrow 15
(5) -- -- -- -- -- --
Dark-eyed Junco 91
(7) -- -- -- -- -- --
White-crowned Sparrow 8
(3) -- -- -- -- -- --
Golden-crowned Sparrow 18
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
Song Sparrow 39
(8) -- -- -- -- -- --
Spotted Towhee 20
(6) -- -- -- -- -- --
Red-winged Blackbird 66
(4) -- -- -- -- -- --
Brewer's Blackbird 6
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
blackbird sp. 40
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --
House Sparrow 4
(1) -- -- -- -- -- --