(3/2021) The Frederick Bird Club, a chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society, has sponsored the Frederick Midwinter Bird Count for many years. It is a very tangible example of citizen science and a great way to enjoy a winter’s day in beautiful northern Frederick County.
Weather conditions for this year’s count were mixed. Most roads were clear, but a heavy snow three days before the count had left all roads edged by solid snow-plow mounds. A few roads and most trails in parks and forests were still covered by heavy, icy snow. And it was cold. Morning temperatures never got above 18, but skies were clear and there was no wind.
The count was held on Saturday, January 30. Caravan birding is cumbersome but we had an excellent team. People who normally traveled or hosted family were available for the count for the first time. For others, the pandemic was an ideal time to hone birding skills and a count was a perfect winter outing.
Overall, 2021 was above average for number of species (88 versus the long term average of 85) and was noteworthy because of the high numbers of some species observed this year and the addition of a species new to the 27-year count. The new species for the count was a male Painted Bunting that showed up at a feeder in Myersville on count day. The bird has lingered and many of us have been able to observe it. This is a seed eating species that nests from the Outer Banks of North Caroline down through Northern Florida.
More and more individuals of this species have been showing up in winter in Maryland over the past several years. It is unclear why this is so, but the result may be that the breeding range will be expanding north as our climate continues to warm. For species showing 27-year high numbers, some of that might be the unprecedented numbers of participants that we had this year, nearly 50% more than a typical year. However, for some species, I truly believe that it has more to do with overall increases in their populations over the years.
For the woodpeckers, it may be the increase in dead standing trees resulting from the die off of ash trees from the emerald ash borer infestation. For other species, such as winter wren, hermit thrush, and ruby-crowned kinglet, it may be a reflection of birds just not migrating as far south, as we experience, on average, less harsh winters. And for some of the finch species, such as purple finch, pine siskin, and evening grosbeak, it is a result of an invasion year, where food supplies that normally sustain these species farther north, failed during 2020, causing these birds to wander farther afield to find sufficient food.
This was especially true of evening grosbeak, which was seen on the count for only the second time in the 27-year history. And then there is the steady rise in common raven numbers in Frederick County over the last 10 years. This species has really moved down into the lower lying areas of the county and state from its historic distribution only within the mountains. These birds are finding tall towers and high bridges to be quite suitable cliff substitutes, and successful breeding is increasing the number of individuals throughout the county. This can also be seen by the number of different sectors who reported ravens.
Historically, it was one or two sectors that included the Catoctin Mountains that would report them. Now, they are being reported even in the farthest southeast corner of the county. I believe that this year might have also vied for the highest species total had there been more open water on ponds.
Our highest species total for this count is 97 species, which we have reached a couple of times. However, on each of those two counts, we had a large number of different waterfowl species that helped to pad the numbers. During this year's count, most ponds were frozen and even some of the smaller streams were partially frozen, reducing the opportunities for finding waterfowl. Even so, we still managed a decent diversity, just not what it could have been.
The majority of the birds seen during winter counts are year-round residents, like chickadees, cardinals, hawks, and woodpeckers. But there are also a few winter-only visitors, who migrate from colder northern climates due to lack of food or heavy ice/snow cover.
As previously noted in the Christmas bird count article published in the January issue, a few species like the Bald Eagle show impressive population gains. Red-tailed Hawks are doing very well, but Northern Harrier and Kestrel numbers remain low.
Overall, 12 species recorded 27-year highs, these included the Red-shouldered Hawk, Barred Owl, Red & Yellow-bellied Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Peregrine Falcon, Common Raven, Winter & Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and Hermit Thrush. The Mourning Dove count however was the lowest in 27 years.
The population numbers for our two common winter visitors, Dark-eyed Juncos and White-throated Sparrows, that can be seen at the base of many bird feeders throughout the winter remained at the top of our list, only exceed by the ever-present Starling. Another handsome winter visitor, the White-crowned Sparrow, also had impressive numbers. Several things could have contributed to the increase. Fields were covered with snow forcing birds to feed at road edges (where we could easily find them). Birds were also taking advantage of well-stocked feeders, as more families have taken up "back-yard" birding during the pandemic. Hopefully, numbers for these species are increasing. We’ll know more next year.
But good results for one year doesn’t indicate a trend. There are still plenty of birds out there, but the hard reality is that some of our most loved and familiar back-yard birds are rapidly disappearing.
Studies show that grassland bird populations in North America have declined by more than 50%. Habitat loss is a probable factor in these declines, particularly agricultural intensification and development. Grassland birds include Bobwhites, Eastern Meadowlark, Ring-necked Pheasant, Northern Harrier, Horned Lark and many sparrow species.
In the first ten years of the Catoctin CBC, Northern Bobwhite, Eastern Meadowlark and non-native Ring-neck Pheasant were common. Ruffed Grouse and Logger-head Shrike were seen regularly. The American Tree Sparrow averaged 240 birds a year the first 10 years of the count; the last 10 years the average was 3. Most of us remember seeing a covey of Bobwhites scurry across a field or hearing the beautiful song of the meadowlark calling from a fence post. The Bobwhites are all gone and the number of Meadowlarks has declined significantly. Meadowlark numbers were up a bit this year; we’ll be watching that number closely in the future.
If you are not one of the more than 50 million bird watchers in the United States, you may be thinking, it’s unfortunate, but doesn’t really affect me. But scientist Ken Rosenberg cautions, "These bird losses are a strong signal that our human-related landscapes are losing their ability to support birdlife, and that is an indicator of a coming collapse of the overall environment." A strong warning that should get everyone’s attention.
Scientists say it is possible to bring the birds back and restore our environment, but it will take collective action at a national and international scale. A variety of initiatives are already underway including: bird-safe building standards; conservation innovations in paper/wood production, agriculture and fisheries; cost-effective renewable energy; and expansion of conservation efforts and protection of The Migratory Bird Conservation Act.
There are seven simple actions everyone can do to help birds: make windows safer; keep cats indoors; reduce lawn and use native plants; avoid pesticides; drink shade grown coffee; avoid single use plastic; and join the Citizen Science Effort.
If you are interested in learning more about the birds of Frederick County, the Frederick Bird Club www.frederickbirdclub.org and Audubon Society of Central Maryland www.centralaudubon.org welcome guests and new members. Visit their websites to learn about meetings, bird-focused presentations, bird counts, and bird walks and outings throughout the year.
