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Birds! Birds! Birds!
Jan. 4th, 2025 10:30 pm
Time for the now-annual ebird roundup! I counted 138 species of birds in 2024, beating 2023's record of 116. Not sure I really tried a lot harder or went more places but I had some pretty good luck (which suggests that in order to set a new record again this year I will have to try harder and/or go more places, uh oh). Here's my top 15 of 2024 by number of checklists each species appeared on, with last year's position and number in the brackets:
1. Black-capped chickadee: 382 (1, 351)
2. American goldfinch: 323 (2, 330)
3. White-breasted nuthatch: 312 (3, 270)
4. Blue jay: 300 (T7, 167)
5. American crow: 230 (5, 201)
6. Common raven: 215 (T7, 167)
7. Downy woodpecker: 186 (4, 249)
8. Hairy woodpecker: 176 (6, 178)
9. Mourning dove: 163 (9, 139)
10. American robin: 142 (10, 119)
11. Purple finch: 134 (12, 97)
12. Song sparrow: 126 (-, 64)
13. Eastern phoebe: 111 (13, 93)
14. Red-eyed vireo: 109 (11, 101)
15. Dark-eyed junco: 105 (-, 65)
Falling off from last year's top 15: chipping sparrow (14, 83) and red-breasted nuthatch (15, 68). Although red-breasted nuthatch was only on one fewer checklist this year than in 2023 it was all the way down to 20th, which uh kind of suggests that I did in fact try harder in 2024, or at least more, hmm. The chipping sparrow count was down to 57 (knocking it all the way down to 26th), which I'd chalk up to them just happening not to nest around the house this year. Really the most notable drop-off from 2023 to 2024 was a bird that hasn't been in the top 15 since 2022: ruby-throated hummingbird was down from 66 to 49, which may or may not be entirely because I didn't bother at all with hummingbird feeders. Song sparrow rejoining the top 15 after a year off I'd attribute to my walking around more in the bush behind the house near a little pond where they were nesting. The big jump in blue jays is entirely because I put up a new platform feeder that I supply with peanuts. No idea what's with the jump in juncos. I thought red-bellied woodpecker--which has become a daily regular at my suet feeder this fall/winter after I'd never seen one in my life until maybe five years ago--might make the top 15 but it turns out it was 19th at 76 (behind northern flicker at 79, mallard at 85, and eastern wood pewee at 90, so now this top 15 is a top 20). Top bird of prey in 2024 was red-shouldered hawk at 63.
Birds I counted on ebird for the first time in 2024: great horned owl, white-winged scoter, ruddy duck, northern pintail, American wigeon, northern shoveler, tundra swan, white-winged crossbill, fox sparrow, blackpoll warbler, common nighthawk, red-headed woodpecker, ring-necked pheasant (in Detroit), and savannah sparrow (in New Brunswick). Everything from the ruddy duck through the tundra swan I saw on one pretty spectacular fall day for ducks in Kingston. Also finally counted my second eastern bluebird, after creating my ebird account in the first place back in 2018 to record my first-ever bluebird sighting. Maybe this'll be the winter I get around to making a bluebird box.
1. Black-capped chickadee: 382 (1, 351)
2. American goldfinch: 323 (2, 330)
3. White-breasted nuthatch: 312 (3, 270)
4. Blue jay: 300 (T7, 167)
5. American crow: 230 (5, 201)
6. Common raven: 215 (T7, 167)
7. Downy woodpecker: 186 (4, 249)
8. Hairy woodpecker: 176 (6, 178)
9. Mourning dove: 163 (9, 139)
10. American robin: 142 (10, 119)
11. Purple finch: 134 (12, 97)
12. Song sparrow: 126 (-, 64)
13. Eastern phoebe: 111 (13, 93)
14. Red-eyed vireo: 109 (11, 101)
15. Dark-eyed junco: 105 (-, 65)
Falling off from last year's top 15: chipping sparrow (14, 83) and red-breasted nuthatch (15, 68). Although red-breasted nuthatch was only on one fewer checklist this year than in 2023 it was all the way down to 20th, which uh kind of suggests that I did in fact try harder in 2024, or at least more, hmm. The chipping sparrow count was down to 57 (knocking it all the way down to 26th), which I'd chalk up to them just happening not to nest around the house this year. Really the most notable drop-off from 2023 to 2024 was a bird that hasn't been in the top 15 since 2022: ruby-throated hummingbird was down from 66 to 49, which may or may not be entirely because I didn't bother at all with hummingbird feeders. Song sparrow rejoining the top 15 after a year off I'd attribute to my walking around more in the bush behind the house near a little pond where they were nesting. The big jump in blue jays is entirely because I put up a new platform feeder that I supply with peanuts. No idea what's with the jump in juncos. I thought red-bellied woodpecker--which has become a daily regular at my suet feeder this fall/winter after I'd never seen one in my life until maybe five years ago--might make the top 15 but it turns out it was 19th at 76 (behind northern flicker at 79, mallard at 85, and eastern wood pewee at 90, so now this top 15 is a top 20). Top bird of prey in 2024 was red-shouldered hawk at 63.
Birds I counted on ebird for the first time in 2024: great horned owl, white-winged scoter, ruddy duck, northern pintail, American wigeon, northern shoveler, tundra swan, white-winged crossbill, fox sparrow, blackpoll warbler, common nighthawk, red-headed woodpecker, ring-necked pheasant (in Detroit), and savannah sparrow (in New Brunswick). Everything from the ruddy duck through the tundra swan I saw on one pretty spectacular fall day for ducks in Kingston. Also finally counted my second eastern bluebird, after creating my ebird account in the first place back in 2018 to record my first-ever bluebird sighting. Maybe this'll be the winter I get around to making a bluebird box.
