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December 27 2009 Nokesville Christmas Bird Count
Click here to view data on the Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count webpage

Twenty-two people participated and together recorded 84 species and 36,709 individuals. Despite morning fog, flooded creeks and frozen ponds, it was a beautiful day with temperatures reaching the mid-40's by afternoon. Nearly all ponds were frozen and waterfowl sightings were few and far between.

Fauquier County sectors added three species to the list - Wilson's Snipe, Purple Finch and Loggerhead Shrike. We saw Red-headed Woodpeckers at four locations - Merrimac Farm WMA, Cedar Run Wetland Bank, Foggy Bottom Wetland Bank and in a narrow tree line along Deepwood Lane.

The Cedar Run Wetland Bank produced the count's only Northern Bobwhite and a lone Coot was spotted among a large flock of Mallards in a pond off Wright Lane in Nokesville. Despite the many Wild Turkey tracks in the snow at Merrimac Farm, no actual birds were seen and the only one recorded was near Manassas Airport.

Other notable species include a variety of owls - Saw-whet, Screech, Barn, Barred and Great-horned - as well as a Merlin, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Horned Larks, and American Pipit.

Birds Observed by Sector Area
Sp. Total
Ind. Total
Species
1
2a
1a
2b
2c
3
4
5
1
2
Double-crested Cormorant           2    
1
1218
Canada Goose 147 84 318 566 7 72   24
1
35
Am. Black Duck 4   14   4 13    
1
291
Mallard 171   84   21 15    
1
2
Green-winged Teal           2    
1
2
Ring-necked Duck           2    
1
8
Hooded Merganser     5     3    
1
20
Ruddy Duck           20    
1
1
Great Blue Heron       1        
1
35
Black Vulture     20     5 8 2
1
81
Turkey Vulture 6 48 4 3   2 6 12
1
11
Bald Eagle     6     2   3
0
12
  Bald Eagle, immature     10     2    
1
3
Northern Harrier           1   2
1
6
Sharp-shinned Hawk   1 1 1 1     2
1
4
Cooper's Hawk     1       1 2
1
39
Red-shouldered Hawk 4 2 6 4 2 1 3 17
1
25
Red-tailed Hawk     5 7 1 5 2 5
1
6
Am. Kestrel   1 1 1     1 2
1
1
Merlin     1          
1
3
Wild Turkey     1         2
1
1
Northern Bobwhite         1      
1
1
Am. Coot 1              
1
23
Wilson's Snipe               23
1
471
Ring-billed Gull   210 161 30   5   65
1
654
Herring Gull     600 44       10
1
1
Lesser Black-bckd Gull     1          
1
27
Great Blck-bckd Gull     27          
1
44
Rock Pigeon     1 28 4     11
1
550
Mourning Dove 4 4 33 10     12 487
1
1
Barn Owl     1          
1
3
E. Screech Owl       1       2
1
5
Great Horned Owl 1   3         1
1
3
Barred Owl 1   1         1
1
1
No. Saw-whet Owl 1              
1
1
Belted Kingfisher           1    
1
8
Red-head Woodpecker       5 3      
1
65
Red-bell Woodpecker 10 14 6 12 2 12 2 7
1
9
Yellw-bell Sapsucker 1     3   1 3 1
1
42
Downy Woodpecker 2 5 10 3 2 14 4 2
1
3
Hairy Woodpecker     2       1  
1
135
Northern Flicker 2 1 9 8 43 6 4 62
1
19
Pileated Woodpecker 3 1 1 3 2 8 1  
1
1
Loggerhead Shrike               1
1
343
Blue Jay 15 85 29 39 11 23 45 96
1
254
Am. Crow 24 30 41 36 7 18 40 58
1
85
Fish Crow     81     3   1
0
49
  Crow sp.     49          
1
12
Horned Lark      12          
1
127
Carolina Chickadee 33 20 10 6 2 16 27 13
1
113
Tufted Titmouse 38 10 6 7 5 26 13 8
1
42
White-br. Nuthatch 16 5 3 3 1 13   1
1
6
Brown Creeper 1     2   1 1 1
1
78
Carolina Wren 3 11 28 6 8 14 5 3
1
2
Winter Wren             2  
1
32
Golden-Cr. Kinglet 12   1 2   12 3 2
1
2
Ruby-Cr. Kinglet   1   1        
1
135
Eastern Bluebird 14 2 19 17 9 30 22 22
1
9
Hermit Thrush 1   4 1     3  
1
106
Am. Robin 23 7 41 5   1 16 13
1
1
Gray Catbird   1            
1
64
Northern Mockingbird 2 12 18 4   1 6 21
1
6414
Eur. Starling 681 425 1,815 29 100 21 43 3,300
1
1
Am. Pipit     1          
1
77
Cedar Waxwing 4     25   36   12
1
80
Yellow-rumpd Warbler     29 26 5   3 17
1
27
Eastern Towhee 1   7 8 1 3 2 5
1
1
Am. Tree Sparrow     1          
1
5
Chipping Sparrow   5            
1
72
Field Sparrow     43 1   15   13
1
38
Savannah Sparrow     7   1 2   28
1
7
Fox Sparrow     1         6
1
224
Song Sparrow 27   70 26 38 17 13 33
1
23
Swamp Sparrow     18 2 1 2    
1
369
White-thrtd. Sparrow 8 19 47 71 10 31 43 140
1
126
White-crwnd. Sparrow 2 1 6 10       107
1
540
Dark-eyed Junco 58 13 64 21 23 91 60 210
1
137
No. Cardinal 12 35 31 19 3 3 12 22
1
1782
Red-winged Blackbird     12 10 7 3 550 1,200
1
22
Eastern Meadowlark       6 2     14
1
4
Rusty Blackbird     3 1        
1
20693
Common Grackle   330   212   1 150 20,000
1
558
Brwn-headed Cowbird 6       2   200 350
1
2
Purple Finch               2
1
21
House Finch 10 1 2     6   2
1
99
Am. Goldfinch     47 9 4 5 19 15
1
74
House Sparrow   2 13 9 5     45
85
36,727
TOTALS 1,349 1,386 3,892 1,344 338 588 1,326 26,506