114th CBC Indiana Regional Summary

By John Cassady

Frigid temperatures and deep snow made for some brutal field conditions on many Indiana counts this season.  Despite the challenges, Hoosier birders made some remarkable discoveries, including such surprises as White Pelican, Spotted Sandpiper, Audubon’s form Yellow-rumped Warbler, Bobolink, and Baltimore Oriole.  Additional records of note included a pair of Osprey, four Virginia Rails, three Barn Owls, four Snowy Owls, four Rufous Hummingbirds, two Marsh Wrens, three Pine Warblers, a Le Conte’s Sparrow, and two Harris’s Sparrows.

Eleven species were counted in record numbers, including Redhead, Golden Eagle, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Northern Mockingbird, Chipping Sparrow, and Lapland Longspur.  In contrast, Wood Duck, American Black Duck, Ring-necked Pheasant, Northern Saw-whet Owl, American Crow, Purple Finch, and Pine Siskin were tough to find this season.

This year, only one Indiana count, Goose Pond, topped the century mark with 104 total species.  Several circles produced 90 or more species, including Oakland City (96), Gibson (95), Sullivan (94), and Ohio River (92).  Forty-two counts reported data in Indiana this season, which included 667 field observers (25% fewer than last season) and 113 feeder watchers.  A total of 1786 party hours, 211 hours of feeder observation, and 102 hours of nocturnal birding (less than half last years “owling” total) resulted in a total of 145 species (13 fewer than a year ago).  Challenging weather conditions may explain the lower number of participants and the decrease in nocturnal birding hours, especially considering that the number of feeder watchers stayed about the same.

Though goose numbers were average overall, there were a few impressive counts, including Knox County’s 681 Greater White-fronted Geese, and Posey County’s 1004 Snow Geese.  The Season’s lone Ross’s Goose was provided by Goose Pond.  Mute Swan numbers remained high with the biggest counts coming from Tippecanoe (382), Elkhart (193), and Pokagon (114).  Only two circles recorded now “countable” Trumpeter Swans  – Terre Haute (11) and Elkhart (count week), while six counts had Tundra Swans, with the highest numbers at Muscatatuck (70) and Eagle Creek (18).

Bitter cold and a lack of open water resulted in low duck totals.  The 209 American Black Duck total was the lowest in 50 years.   Gibson (1) and Gene Stratton-Porter (count week) had the season’s only Blue-winged Teal.  Among the few noteworthy duck counts were Goose Pond’s 130 Northern Shovelers and a new record state total for Redheads (244), thanks to a big flight on the Dunes count (101).  Elkhart’s 301 Common Goldeneye was also impressive.

Only Harlequin was missed among the sea ducks.  Three Surf Scoters included a count first pair from Ohio River, and a single bird from the Dunes count.  White-winged Scoters were discovered on the Dunes West (5), Indiana Dunes (2), and Pigeon River counts (1).  The Dunes count also had the lone Black Scoter, a pair of Long-tailed Ducks, and six of the season’s seven Red-throated Loons; Whitewater State Park provided the only “inland” Red-throated this year.

Beautiful flight shots of Indiana’s third CBC American White Pelican were provided by the Dunes West count.  The Double-crested Cormorant total (20) was the lowest in 19 years.  Patoka Lake (128) and Warrick County (102) had nice Turkey Vulture counts.  Eagle Creek and Ohio River each discovered a single Osprey, the state’s 19^th and 20^th CBC records.  Overall, raptor numbers were typical, though it was a record year for Golden Eagles with ten.  Falcon numbers were above average, with ten Merlins and seven Peregrine Falcons tallied.

Four counts added single Virginia Rails this season, including Oakland City, Pokagon, Sullivan, and Gene Stratton-Porter (count week).  Goose Pond (14) and Gibson County (2) had “uncountable” Whooping Cranes.  Gibson also provided the lone shorebird highlight of the season - Indiana’s forth CBC record for Spotted Sandpiper.  As expected, Lake Michigan once again provided the gull action.  Indiana Dunes counters tallied four Thayer’s Gulls, a single Lesser Black-backed, and five Great Black-backed Gulls.  Dunes West also provided a single Great Black-backed.

Eurasian Collared-Dove numbers showed a significant increase.  Eight circles contributed to the record total of 138 birds.  Owl highlights included Barn Owls from Oakland City (2), Goose Pond (1), and Hamilton County (1), and another nice Eastern Screech-Owl tally by Lake Monroe (33).  The season’s four Snowy Owls provided just a hint of the record breaking flight that Indiana, like much of the country, would experience.  The Indiana Dunes (2), Dunes West (1), and Pigeon River (1) circles had Snowys on count day.  Always elusive, Long-eared Owls were discovered by Pigeon River (3), Turkey Run (1), and Gene Stratton-Porter (count week).  Only two counts had Northern Saw-whet Owls this season – Lake Monroe (2) and Spring Mill (1).  The three saw-whets is the lowest total in 14 years.

Rufous Hummingbird is becoming a regular occurrence on the Indiana CBC, yet this season’s total of four birds was still remarkable; single birds from Evansville, Indianapolis, McCormick’s Creek, and Muscatatuck (count week) made for  this impressive total.  It was a good year for woodpeckers with record counts of Red-bellied Woodpecker (1929) and Northern Flicker (1119).  Noteworthy additions to these high totals were Elkhart’s 108 Red-bellieds and Topeka’s 80 flickers.  The season’s six Eastern Phoebes came from Goose Pond (2), Johnson County (1), Lafayette (1), Spring Mill (1), and Terre Haute (1).  Single Loggerhead Shrikes found on the Evansville, Oakland City, and Gene Stratton-Porter counts established the highest total (3) in 14 years.  It was also a good season for Northern Shrikes; nine birds were reported, including an impressive four on the Sullivan count.

The American Crow total (19,001) was the lowest in 24 years.  Red-breasted Nuthatch numbers (83) were also, as predicted, below average, with Goose Pond’s 40 the lone exception.  On the other hand, Brown Creepers were widespread; Indianapolis (49) and Elkhart County (48) were big contributors to a new record total (422).  The Winter Wren total (45) was also a new high, thanks to nice counts like Hamilton County’s eight and Indy’s five.  The season’s only two Marsh Wrens were discovered on the Sullivan and Eagle Creek (count week) counts.  A record Golden-crowned Kinglet total (1027) doubled the previous best.  Noteworthy thrush tallies included Lake Monroe’s 21 Hermit Thrushes, and big American Robins counts by Ohio River (1523) and Eagle Creek (1027).  The only Gray Catbirds were single birds from the Lafayette and Oakland City circles.  Oakland City also provided 116 of this season’s record 461 Northern Mockingbirds.

The only warbler highlights were a remarkable Audubon’s form Yellow-rumped Warbler from Spring Mill and three Pine Warblers at Lake Monroe.  The season’s record high 34 Chipping Sparrows was the result of big counts by Eagle Creek (15) and Evansville (14).  Goose Pond (130) and Warrick County (48) enjoyed nice Savannah Sparrow tallies.  The lone Le Conte’s Sparrow of the season was beautifully photographed on the Goose Pond count.  Impressive Swamp Sparrow totals came from Goose Pond (428) and Ohio River (223).  For the first time in 19 years, multiple Harris’s Sparrows were recorded in Indiana.  The state’s 19^th and 20^th CBC records came from Evansville and Pigeon River (count week).  A record 6420 Lapland Longspurs nearly doubled the old mark, thanks to big tallies by Gibson (1695) and Willow Slough (1063).  Pokagon’s 1745 Snow Buntings provided the bulk of the season’s total (1948).

Easily the biggest stunner of the season was the Indiana Dunes’ discovery of Indiana’s first CBC Bobolink.  This unprecedented bird was seen and photographed by a large group of birders.  Other blackbirds of note included Brewer’s Blackbirds from Eagle Creek (3), Big Oaks (1), and Goose Pond (1) and a count week Baltimore Oriole that visited a Fort Wayne feeder – the state’s third CBC record.  Last season’s incredible winter finch flight made this year’s totals seem even more grim.  Even Purple Finch (55) and Pine Siskin (19) totals were the lowest in seven years.  No crossbills or redpolls were recorded this season.