by Shannon and Bridger Donaldson
The 25th Annual Kalispell Christmas Bird Count took place on Sunday, December 31, 2023. It was New Year’s Eve and most everything on the valley floor was cloaked in an amazing amount of hoar frost. Very low visibility was the theme for the day, as it was incredibly foggy, especially so near the center of the count circle. Conditions were fairly calm with temperatures ranging from 27 to 34 degrees. Some areas received light snow showers later in the afternoon. There was a noticeable lack of snow cover throughout the valley, three inches of snow was the maximum reported, while most everyone reported a mere trace to none.
A total of 69 species were tallied this year, down from 75 last year, and slightly below the average of 72 over the years. 9,503 individuals were counted in all. There was near record participation with 51 enthusiastic folks turning out to count. Forty-two field observers and nine feeder watchers collected data.
Five species were found in record numbers: Northern Pintail (6), Wild Turkey (455), Ring-billed Gull (265), Hairy Woodpecker (20), and White-crowned Sparrow (6).
This is the first year that Gray Partridge and Common Mergansers were not recorded and one of only two years that Cedar Waxwings and American Tree Sparrows were not found. We had four count week birds: Great Gray Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, American Three-toed Woodpecker, and Canada Jay. It was just the second year for California Gull and the third year Greater Scaup was recorded. The Casey, Nichols and Hohenberger crews found one Redhead in each of their sections. Redhead is a new species for the Kalispell count, bringing the overall number of species to 133.
Thank you to all the participants this year for contributing your time, it was a great day!
You must be logged in to post a comment.