2026 Summer Bird Count Results
We had yet another year of great weather, area coverage, and participation. On both June 6 & 7 temperatures were warm with moderate SW winds. (*At the risk of pressing our future luck, I will state that there has never been a rained-out SBC!)
The “bird-of-the count” goes to Mississippi Kite, well-photographed Sunday over the hyper-developed area just west of the Quinnipiac River. A male Black Scoter was present for some time off East Shore Park. A large flock of Red Knots and a Caspian Tern joined an exceptionally large assortment of lingering shorebird species at Sandy Point. A single secretive Broad-winged Hawk was a nice find. A record five Acadian Flycatchers were reported. There weren’t any real significant misses. Among the missed birds were the nightjars, Eastern Screech Owl, Brown Creeper, and Black-throated Green Warbler. Has the latter finally “blinked out” because of the Wooly Adelgid infestation of our Eastern Hemlocks? We’ll have to keep looking.
Additional analysis will be published in a future volume of COA’s Connecticut Warbler. Corrections are always welcome for that report. For some birds additional nestlings have been noted with a “+” to indicate successful breeding.
Thanks everyone, for coming out and participating in this important conservation and bird distribution research.
BIRD COUNT
Brant 2, Canada Goose 216+6, Mute Swan 33+7, Wood Duck 49, Mallard 140, American Black Duck 1, Black Scoter 1, Wild Turkey 20+4, Feral (Rock) Pigeon 199, Mourning Dove 454, Yellow-billed Cuckoo 12, Black-billed Cuckoo (Count Week), Chimney Swift 334, Ruby-throated Hummingbird 11, Clapper Rail 8, American Oystercatcher 45, Black-bellied Plover 2, Semipalmated Plover 4, Piping Plover 25, Killdeer 36, Ruddy Turnstone 12, Sanderling 4, Dunlin 2, Red Knot 22, Willet 36, Least Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper 2, Semipalmated Sandpiper 60, Spotted Sandpiper 7, Greater Yellowlegs6, Laughing Gull 1, Ring-billed Gull 136, Herring Gull 286, Great Black-backed Gull 96, gull, sp. 19, Black Skimmer (Count Week), Least Tern 57, Common Tern 16, Caspian Tern 1, Double-crested Cormorant 193, Snowy Egret 38, Black-crowned Night-Heron 3, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 2, Green Heron 15, Great Egret 55, Great Blue Heron 69, Glossy Ibis 1, Black Vulture 20, Turkey Vulture 83, Osprey 162, Mississippi Kite 1, Cooper’s Hawk 10, Bald Eagle 12, Red-shouldered Hawk 12, Broad-winged Hawk 1, Red-tailed Hawk 37, Great Horned Owl 1, Barred Owl 14, Belted Kingfisher 7, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 4, Red-bellied Woodpecker 119, Downy Woodpecker 111, Hairy Woodpecker 39, Pileated Woodpecker 21, Northern Flicker 91, Peregrine Falcon 4, Monk Parakeet 4, Great Crested Flycatcher 92, Eastern Kingbird 37, Eastern Wood-Pewee 122, Acadian Flycatcher 5, Willow Flycatcher 37, Willow/Alder Flycatcher 2, Eastern Phoebe 27, Yellow-throated Vireo (Count Week), Eastern Warbling Vireo 151, Red-eyed Vireo 150, Blue Jay 371, American Crow 136, Fish Crow 111, crow species 51, Common Raven 12, Black-capped Chickadee 127, Tufted Titmouse 260, Bank Swallow 39, Tree Swallow 234, Northern Rough-winged Swallow 86, Barn Swallow 324, Purple Martin 50, Cliff Swallow 18, Cedar Waxwing 178, Red-breasted Nuthatch 3, White-breasted Nuthatch 92, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 14, Carolina Wren 90, Northern House Wren 145, Marsh Wren 33, Gray Catbird 513, Brown Thrasher 4, Northern Mockingbird 120, European Starling 743, Eastern Bluebird 48, Veery 24, Wood Thrush 111, American Robin 1147, House Sparrow 1105, House Finch 279, American Goldfinch 367, Chipping Sparrow 150, Field Sparrow 13, Saltmarsh Sparrow 3, Song Sparrow 443, Swamp Sparrow 6, Eastern Towhee 23, Orchard Oriole 35, Baltimore Oriole 171, Red-winged Blackbird 956, Brown-headed Cowbird 145, Common Grackle 889, Ovenbird 123, Worm-eating Warbler 7, Louisiana Waterthrush 12, Blue-winged Warbler 34, Black-and-white Warbler 17, Common Yellowthroat 87, Hooded Warbler 1, Magnolia Warbler (Count Week), American Redstart 23, Northern Yellow Warbler 136, Chestnut-sided Warbler 4, Pine Warbler 43, Prairie Warbler 35, Scarlet Tanager 47, Northern Cardinal 379, Rose-breasted Grosbeak 24, Indigo Bunting 56.
~ Steve Mayo