2012 Christmas Bird Count

December 18, 2012 Posted by: BW - Volunteer Interpreter

2012 Christmas Bird Count

Last Sunday over 40 enthusiastic birders braved the cold temperatures to participate in the 113th annual Christmas Bird Count. This nationwide event is sponsored by the National Audubon Society and features local groups identifying and counting every bird they see in a given area for one day. When the results are compiled, they provide invaluable information about bird population trends. Yosemite had groups counting in the vicinity of El Portal, Foresta, Yosemite Valley, and Badger Pass. This year 2,258 individual birds and 64 species were counted. As you might expect, winter conditions kept most bird activity at lower elevations with more than half the observations coming from El Portal and only 62 from Badger Pass. Notable sightings included, eight raptor species (including a Northern harrier, a Northern goshawk, and two peregrine falcons); nine woodpecker species (including two Williamson's sapsuckers); and a Western Meadowlark. For a complete list of the birds counted this year, see the table below.

2012 Christmas Bird Count participants surveying for birds. (Photo credit: Lee Tarnay)

Table 1. 2012 Christmas Bird Count Totals

Species	Number Counted
Common Merganser	4
Mountain Quail	1
California Quail	11
Great Blue Heron	2
Northern Harrier	1
Sharp-shinned Hawk	2
Northern Goshawk	1
Red-shouldered Hawk	5
Red-tailed Hawk	11
Golden Eagle	2
American Kestrel	1
Peregrine Falcon	2
Band-tailed Pigeon	42
Mourning Dove	15
Anna's Hummingbird	5
Belted Kingfisher	3
Acorn Woodpecker	182
Williamson's Sapsucker	2
Red-breasted Sapsucker	5
Nuttall's Woodpecker	9
Downy Woodpecker	8
Hairy Woodpecker	8
White-headed Woodpecker	11
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)	30
Pileated Woodpecker	1
Black Phoebe	13
Hutton's Vireo	1
Steller's Jay	119
Western Scrub-Jay	62
Common Raven	90
Mountian Chickadee	92
Chestnut-backed Chickadee	3
Oak Titmouse	30
Bushtit	82
Red-breasted Nuthatch	9
White-breasted Nuthatch	4
Brown Creeper	26
Canyon Wren	6
Bewick's Wren	4
American Dipper	8
Golden-crowned Kinglet	36
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	139
Western Bluebird	111
Townsend's Solitaire	1
Hermit Thrush	10
American Robin	651
Varied Thrush	2
Wrentit	8
California Thrasher	2
European Starling	27
Cedar Waxwing	40
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's)	7
Spotted Towhee	22
California Towhee	31
Rufous-crowned Sparrow	7
Song Sparrow	1
Lincoln's Sparrow	2
Golden-crowned Sparrow	55
Oregon Dark-eyed Junco	182
Western Meadowlark	1
Brewer's Blackbird	1
Purple Finch	1
Pine Siskin	2
Lesser Goldfinch	6
Total Observations	2258

Nature Scene, Science in the Park, Bird Monitoring and Research, Yosemite Valley, BW