The 117th CBC in Utah

CBC-117 is my 19^th year as a Regional Editor! If anyone would like to edit Utah CBCs and write this short summary, let me know, as I would be willing to “retire.” For the 117^th Christmas Bird Count, 26 count circles were reviewed for Utah and 191 species reported; three counts recorded more than 100 species (Salt Lake, Provo, and Silver Reef). As with last year, mild weather and open water resulted in many counts reporting late migrating species.  This year, it appeared that a higher than normal number of compilers had difficulty completing the Effort and Participation sections of the forms and two counts remain uncompleted because of those problems.

Every year when I get involved in reviewing the CBC database, I become curious about trend counts for some species. This year, I analyzed 10-year (CBC-108 through CBC 117) trend counts for Wild Turkey, Cooper’s Hawk, Bald Eagle, Sandhill Crane, Song Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Great-tailed Grackle, Brewer’s Blackbird, and Pine Siskin.

Here are more details about those 10-year trend counts. Wild Turkey populations increased sharply between CBC-109 (556 individuals counted) and CBC-115 (1830 individuals counted) but have dropped a little the last two years. On CBC-117, 1451 individual Wild Turkeys were counted on 17 of the 26 counts in Utah. There have been reports of Cooper’s Hawks adapting to urban habitats and increasing in numbers. As many of Utah’s counts contain residential areas, I wondered if Cooper’s Hawks were increasing in Utah. For the most part, Utah seems to have a stable winter population, averaging around 65 individuals counted per year. For CBC-117, a total of 70 Cooper’s Hawks were recorded on 15 count circles. With more and more nesting Bald Eagles reported in Utah, I was curious about the wintering numbers. The trend seems fairly stable with a 10-year average of 356 individuals reported. The numbers of Bald Eagles were down on CBC-117 to 273. I suspect much of this decrease can be attributed to mild weather and Bald Eagles wintering further north or not concentrated within count circles. Sandhill Crane numbers vary greatly due to winter weather. Over the last 10 counts, numbers have varied from one on CBC-110 to 2311 on CBC-116. On CBC-117, a total of 1020 Sandhill Cranes were recorded. Song Sparrow numbers, which have averaged about 840 individuals per year, were down on CBC-117 to 649 on 23 counts. This low number may also be attributed to mild conditions and no concentration of birds. The 10-year average for Lincoln’s Sparrows (from CBC107-116) was 15.5 per year. On CBC-117, 49 Lincoln’s Sparrows were recorded, it will be interesting to see if these high numbers continue on future counts; the reason for this peak is unknown. A few years ago, Great-tailed Grackles began to expand their range north from the Washington County area. Numbers of Great-tailed Grackles seemed to be increasing as 443 were counted on CBC-115 and 419 on CBC-116. However, the 295 counted on CBC-117 approximates the 10-year average of 301 individuals per year. Brewer’s Blackbirds are fairly common during the CBC period in Utah. The 10-yr average (CBC-108-117) was 3378 individuals recorded on just less than 15 counts. On CBC-117, numbers of Brewer’s Blackbirds were down, as only 2432 individuals were reported, but close to the average of 14 count circles.

Pine Siskins were virtually non-existent during the 2016-2017 winter on my backyard feeders and throughout the Ogden area. Statewide on CBC-117, 413 individual Pine Siskins were recorded on 10 count circles. This represents a low number as the 10-year average was 681 on 15 counts per year. On CBC-109, a high of 1819 individual Pine Siskins were recorded on 20 count circles. Looking back to the CBC-109 report, the weather was reported as being mild until a week before the CBC count period, then being cold and stormy. Also, it was noted that American Robin and Spotted Towhee numbers were about twice the average numbers. I’m sure there is some speculation as to why these species were so abundant on CBC-109, but nothing is definitive.   

I will close with a few interesting tidbits from the CBC-117 count. Out of the total of 191 species recorded in Utah, 38 species were seen on only one count circle. Some notable rarities include the Eurasian Wigeon on the Provo count, the Red-shouldered Hawk at Payson, the Broad-billed Hummingbird hanging out in the Silver Reef area, the Red-breasted Sapsucker on the Salt Lake count, the Common Yellowthroat on the Provo count, and the Swamp Sparrow in Ogden. Some interesting “new to the count” species included the Eastern Bluebird on Jordan River, the Snow Bunting at Morgan, a Dunlin at Provo, a Long-eared Owl at Zion, and a Brown Thrasher on the Salt Lake count.