One-of-a-kinds from last year's Christmas Bird Count

It's almost time for this year's Christmas Bird Count, the 109th. (I'll be taking part in the Milwaukee CBC on December 20.)

If this year's event is anything like last year's, it's bound to be a lot of fun. 

According to a summary published by National Audubon Society, counts took place in 2,113 circles last year -- 1,658 in the U.S., 371 in Canada, and 84 in Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Pacific islands. A total of 50,742 field watchers participated in the event -- 40,742 in the U.S., 8,205 in Canada, and 1,692 in other regions.

You'd expect that many observers in that many circles to turn up one heck of a lot of birds, and they did -- more than 57 million birds and 2,267 species, about a quarter of all species on earth. (The majority of the species were reported in Latin America; 281 were found in Canada, 665 in the U.S.)

I'm not a statistician, but it stands to figure that with so many eyes in so many places, you might also expect a few of them to be in the right place at the right time to spot a bird that no other Christmas Bird Counter recorded anywhere -- a single bird in a single count circle -- and that happened, too, as you can see from the list that follows. 

Talk about good luck: Not only did each species below have a high count of one in the United States last year, but each was recorded in just one circle. 

Pink-footed Goose

Montauk, L.I., NY

Tufted Duck

Clear Lake, CA

Masked Duck

Kingsville, TX

Sooty Grouse

Corvallis, OR

Arctic Loon

Wahkiakum, WA

Greater Shearwater

Cape Cod, MA

Lesser Frigatebird

French Frigate Shoals, HI

Hawaiian Hawk

North Kona (Hawai’i), HI

White-rumped Sandpiper

Truro, MA

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Waimea (Kaua’i), HI

Red-necked Phalarope

Cape Hatteras, NC

Sabine’s Gull

Dunkirk-Fredonia, NY

Blue-gray Noddy

French Frigate Shoals, HI

Red-billed Pigeon

Laredo, TX

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Guadalupe River Delta-McFaddin Family Ranches, TX

Common Nighthawk

Jackson Co., MS

Green-breasted Mango

Dublin, GA

Eared Quetzal

Portal, AZ

Olive-sided Flycatcher

San Diego, CA

Greater Pewee

Ramsey Canyon, AZ

Acadian Flycatcher

Matagorda Co.-Mad Island Marsh, TX

Thick-billed Kingbird

Palos Verdes Pen., CA

Red-eyed Vireo

Galveston, TX

Veery

Lakeville-Sharon, CT

Rufous-backed Robin

Havasu N.W.R., AZ

Lucy’s Warbler

Tucson Valley, AZ

Chestnut-sided Warbler

New Braunfels, TX

Grace’s Warbler

Morro Bay, CA

Worm-eating Warbler

Zellwood-Mount Dora, FL

Hooded Warbler

Harlingen, TX

Golden-crowned Warbler

Weslaco, TX

Scarlet Tanager

Venice, LA

Brambling

Anchorage, AK

Akikiki

Waimea (Kaua’i), HI

Akohekohe

Pu’u O Kaka’e (Maui), HI

What I wouldn't give to be the person who saw the quetzal, the Brambling, or any of the others. Maybe this year!

Many thanks to Brent Ortego of Texas Parks and Wildlife for his help assembling this information. --C.H.

Here's information about this year's Christmas Bird Count. 

Comments

[Connie Kogler]

We had a lovely Streak-backed Oriole last year that stayed for our Loveland CBC. What fun that was!

I have you linked on my blog and if you find it worthy would love a link back.
Connie

http://birdsothemorning.blogspot.com/