113th CBC Indiana Regional Summary

By John Cassady

Indiana Christmas Bird Count participants enjoyed one of the more memorable seasons in recent years.  There were several remarkable discoveries, including the state’s first CBC records for Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Yellow-throated Warbler, Clay-colored Sparrow, and Nelson’s Sparrow.  Other impressive finds included Great Egret, Osprey, Greater Yellowlegs, Harris’s Sparrow, both crossbills, and Evening Grosbeak.

Twenty-two species were counted in record numbers, including Greater White-fronted Goose, Snow Goose, Northern Shoveler, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-throated Loon, Bald Eagle, Merlin, Sandhill Crane, Least Sandpiper, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Horned Lark, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Fox Sparrow, Eurasian Collared-dove, and Barn Owl.

For the second straight season three Indiana counts topped the century mark for total species.  The Gibson count took top honors with an impressive 107 species, followed closely by Goose Pond’s 105, and 101 from Oakland City.  Forty-one counts reported data in Indiana this season, which included 859 field observers and 109 feeder watchers.  A total of 1882 party hours, 266 hours of feeder observation, and 267 hours of nocturnal birding resulted in a total of 158 species. 

Waterfowl provided a number of record counts and highlights.  With what has become a trend, goose records fell once again.  The 5846 Greater White-fronted Geese and 94,893 Snow Geese quadrupled the previous highs (1739 and 24,960 respectively).  Goose Pond (2910) and Gibson (2690) provided the bulk of the Greater White-fronteds, while Gibson’s phenomenal 91,328 Snow Geese single-handedly destroyed the previous record total.  Evansville (2000) and Posey County (967) also had very good Snow Goose counts.  Two circles contributed the seven Ross’s Geese this season – Goose Pond (4), and Gibson (3).  Swan numbers were average, overall.  Tippecanoe (243), Elkhart (222), and Pigeon River (160) had big Mute Swan counts.  Willow Slough’s 32 Tundra Swans was the season’s highest tally.  Pokagon and Willow Slough each had a Trumpeter Swan, a species now officially back on the state list as “countable.” 

Blue-winged Teal are unusual in Indiana in the winter, so Northeast La Porte’s 26 was a remarkable number.   Terre Haute also had a pair of Blue-wingeds. The American Black Duck total (223) was the lowest in 40 years.   Many circles had their highest ever Northern Shoveler counts.  Gibson’s 679 and Goose Pond’s 488 Shovelers were a big addition to the season’s record total of 1937, which doubled the previous high.  Oakland City’s 129 Green-winged Teal, and Sullivan County’s 545 Ring-necked Ducks, were both new count records.

“Sea ducks” included a pair of Surf Scoters from Richmond, and White-winged Scoters from the Dunes (38), Dunes West (6), and Tippecanoe (1).  Black Scoter was not recorded for the first time in five seasons.  Two ducks that were apparently late in arriving were Common Goldeneye, with the lowest count in six years, and Common Merganser, which had its lowest total in 11 seasons.  It was a good year for Hooded Merganser, including record counts for Terre Haute (139) and Posey County (62).  An impressive flight of 6585 Red-breasted Mergansers on the Dunes count was the bulk of a new record total (6716) that far surpassed the previous high (1240).  The Northern Bobwhite total (169) was the highest in 18 years, with good counts from Hamilton County (39), Knox County (36), and Big Oaks (19).

Though Red-throated Loons have increased sharply on Lake Michigan over the last decade, the Dunes’ count of 155 was still exceptional, and far exceeded their previous best (27).   Despite a nice count of Common Loons at Lake Monroe (108), for the first time ever there were as many Red-throated Loons as Commons.  Pied-billed Grebes were widespread; the 495 total was also a record, and included a good count by Patoka Lake (96).  Indianapolis contributed the season’s only Red-necked Grebe.  Many circles had high Great Blue Heron counts, led by Goose Pond’s 171.  Terre Haute provided a Great Egret, a very good CBC bird.

Turkey Vultures continued their trend of lingering longer and wintering farther north; the 1103 birds counted this season was yet another record tally. High TV counts came from Spring Mill (401) and Lake Monroe (350).  Notable Black Vulture counts included Spring Mill (101), Lake Monroe (37), and a count first for Mary Gray.  Ohio River’s Osprey was a good find.  As expected, Bald Eagles also continued to increase, with the season’s 239 becoming the new bench mark. Lake Monroe’s 43 Bald Eagles was a new count high.  Big Oaks, Lake Monroe, Gibson, Oakland City, and Spring Mill each had single Golden Eagles.  The Rough-legged Hawk total (81) was the lowest in 28 years.  In contrast, Merlin seems to be increasing, with this year’s total of 20 eclipsing the former high of 17.  Sullivan and Gibson had great Merlin days with five and four respectively.

The Dunes count failed to find their now expected Virginia Rail, but fortunately Goose Pond filled the void with their count first pair.  Sandhill Cranes were wide-spread as they continued their steady increase.  A record 7451 Sandhills were distributed across 16 circles, and included a number of new count highs, including Muscatatuck (3643), Goose Pond (1663), and Pigeon River (600).  Though not officially “countable,” the impressive 23 Whooping Cranes from Goose Pond, and an additional six from Gibson, were quite noteworthy.

Shorebird highlights included a single Greater Yellowlegs from Gibson, and Least Sandpipers from Gibson (15), Terre Haute (6), and Sullivan County (2).  Several circles had new high counts of Wilson’s Snipe, including Knox County (14), Lake Monroe (11), and a count first for Oakland City (7).  Oakland City and Spring Mill each had single American Woodcocks.  The Dunes count enjoyed an “eight gull day” with the discovery of single Thayer’s, Iceland, Lesser Black-backed, and Glaucous Gulls, as well as three Great Black-backeds.  Whitewater (260), Lake Monroe (103), Pigeon River (74), and Fort Wayne (35) had nice Bonaparte’s Gull tallies.  Gibson had 28 of the season’s 90 Eurasian Collared-Doves, a slight increase over the previous best.

Owl highlights included a record five Barn Owls - an impressive three from Goose Pond and one each from Oakland City and Spring Mill.  The season’s six Long-eared owls came from Turkey Run (3), Willow Slough (2), and Richmond (1).  It was an “invasion year” for Northern Saw-whet Owls; a record-breaking fall banding season extended into a record CBC season.  An amazing 19 of the season’s 27 saw-whets were provided by Lake Monroe, with four more from Goose Pond.

On the rare occasion that a hummingbird is found on an Indiana CBC, it is assumed it will be a Selasphorus type.   Incredibly, this season the lingering hummers in Lafayette and Posey County (count week) were both Ruby-throated Hummingbirds – CBC firsts for Indiana.  Pileated Woodpeckers are thriving across the state as evidenced by record counts such as McCormick’s Creek’s 48 and Spring Mill’s 28.  Never common in winter, Eastern Phoebes were particularly scarce, with the only records coming from Ohio River (2), Lake Monroe (1), and Posey County (1).   Oakland City had the lone Loggerhead Shrike, a species of special concern in Indiana.  Northern Shrikes were scattered across seven circles, including two for Sullivan County and a count first for Big Oaks.  A record Horned Lark total (14,457) was led by Michaela Farm-Oldenburg (6538) and Hamilton County (1092).  Wren numbers were average, though high counts of Carolina Wrens by Goose Pond (132) and Gibson (86), and a pair of Marsh Wrens at Goose Pond were noteworthy.  Only four circles had Gray Catbirds – singles from Eagle Creek, Hamilton County, Mary Gray, and McCormick’s Creek.  Johnson County had an impressive 33 Northern Mockingbirds.  Brown Thrashers were scarce, with only ten recorded in the state this season.

Warblers provided excitement on a number of counts.  In addition to a record-breaking total of Yellow-rumped Warblers (500), several unexpected species were discovered.  Single Pine Warblers were recorded on the Hamilton County and Topeka counts.  Gibson had the lone Palm Warbler, while the only Common Yellowthroat came from Goose Pond.  However, the big prize was provided by Ohio River – Indiana’s first ever CBC Yellow-throated Warbler.

It was the sparrow group that supplied the season’s biggest shockers.  In addition to a pair of Chipping Sparrows from Dunes West, singles were added by the Dunes, Fort Wayne, Mary Gray, and Pokagon.  Goose Pond, Oakland City, Posey County, and Terre Haute each had single Vesper Sparrows.  Posey County’s 192 White-throated Sparrows and 175 White-crowneds, and Knox County’s 144 White-crowneds were all new count records.   Terre Haute’s Harris’s Sparrow was a great find.  Oakland City (40), Ohio River (26), and Hamilton County (10) each enjoyed new high counts for Savannah Sparrow.  The season’s 11 Le Conte’s Sparrows was the second highest total ever, and included an impressive ten from Goose Pond, and one from Gibson.   But, the most astonishing sparrows were a long-staying Clay-colored Sparrow photographed on the Dunes West Count, and a Nelson’s Sparrow discovered among a group of Le Conte’s at Goose Pond.   Both the Clay-colored and Nelson’s Sparrow were CBC firsts for Indiana.  The Nelson’s was also the state’s first winter record!

Overall, blackbird numbers were low.  The exception was Rusty Blackbirds, with some nice counts from Evansville (2400), Gibson (2045), Lake Monroe (256), and Patoka Lake (205).   The season’s only Brewer’s Blackbirds were the pair from Lake Monroe.

Most years I end my summary by mentioning a lack of “winter finches,” but not this season.  A great fall for these sought-after irruptive birds spilled over into the CBC period.  Two Red Crossbills, photographed in Terre Haute, were the state’s first in five seasons.  Seven White-winged Crossbills in Elkhart alone tied the state’s highest total in 47 years.  The Common Redpolls total (274) was the second highest in 15 seasons, and included a nice flock of 226 on the Dunes count, 42 for Topeka, four from Tippecanoe, and two more from Dunes West.  Mary Gray had Evening Grosbeaks coming to their feeder all winter, including a pair on count day, representing Indiana’s first record in six seasons.