2007 Morro Bay Audubon Christmas Bird Count Totals

The 54th Morro Bay Audubon Christmas Bird Count was held on December 15th, 2007.  There were approximately 35 parties covering the count circle this year. Together the parties spent 73 hours driving 370 miles, 189 hours walking 116 miles, 8 hours boating and kayaking 17 miles, 3 hours at feeders, and 8 hours and 14 miles owling (foot & car).  The count total of 51,638 individuals was 3,598 greater than the average of the past 27 years and the total of 202 species was 2.5 greater than the average since 1980.  Franklin’s Gull and Grace’s Warbler were new to the count this year and the count’s cumulative (1948-2006) species total now stands at 312 species.  Thanks to the 72 volunteers that contributed to this year’s success.  A special thanks to Bert and Elaine Townsend for excellently coordinating the count and to the Sector Leaders Maggie Smith, Mike Stiles, and Bill Bouton for organizing the participants.  Bold text indicates rare species or high counts.

Snow Goose – 4
Ross’s Goose – 3
Brant – 1711
Cackling Goose – 4
Canada Goose – 139
Wood Duck – 1
Gadwall – 52
Eurasian Wigeon – 5
American Wigeon – 1004
Mallard – 258
Blue-winged Teal – 75
Cinnamon Teal – 65
Northern Shoveler – 469
Northern Pintail – 915
Green-winged Teal – 879
Canvasback – 1
Ring-necked Duck – 34
Greater Scaup – 50
Lesser Scaup – 1100
Surf Scoter – 403
White-winged Scoter - 2
Black Scoter – 1
Long-tailed Duck – 2
Bufflehead – 676
Hooded Merganser – 7
Red-breasted Merganser – 21
Ruddy Duck – 477
Wild Turkey – 80
California Quail – 501
Red-throated Loon – 45
Pacific Loon – 227
Common Loon – 19
loon sp. – 2
Pied-billed Grebe – 57
Horned Grebe – 16
Eared Grebe – 408
Western Grebe – 305
Clark’s Grebe – 12
American White Pelican – 170
Brown Pelican – 182
Brandt’s Cormorant – 821
Double-crested Cormorant – 807
Pelagic Cormorant – 183
American Bittern – 1
Great Blue Heron – 48
Great Egret – 48
Snowy Egret – 51
Green Heron – 1
Blk-crowned Night Heron – 48
Turkey Vulture – 473
Osprey – 2
White-tailed Kite – 24
Northern Harrier – 25
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 14
Cooper’s Hawk – 16
Red-shouldered Hawk – 51
Red-tailed Hawk – 125
Ferruginous Hawk – 11
Golden Eagle – 7
American Kestrel – 110
Merlin – 4
Peregrine Falcon – 8
Prairie Falcon – 1
Virginia Rail – 4
Sora – 5
American Coot – 823
Black-bellied Plover – 229
Snowy Plover – 93
Semipalmated Plover – 33
Killdeer – 112
Black Oystercatcher – 31
American Avocet – 430
Spotted Sandpiper – 11
Greater Yellowlegs – 17
Willet – 1000
Lesser Yellowlegs – 1
Whimbrel – 3
Long-billed Curlew – 248
Marbled Godwit – 1500
Black Turnstone – 75
Surfbird – 7
Red Knot – 21
Sanderling – 1502
Western Sandpiper – 1457
Least Sandpiper – 2821
Dunlin – 33
peep sp. – 500
Short-billed Dowitcher – 2
Long-billed Dowitcher – 237
Wilson’s Snipe – 13
Red Phalarope – 2
Franklin’s Gull – 1
Bonaparte’s Gull – 112
Heermann’s Gull –912
Mew Gull – 65
Ring-billed Gull – 611
California Gull – 151
Herring Gull – 2
Thayer’s Gull – 1
Western Gull – 537
Glaucous-winged Gull – 4
gull sp. – 2
Black-legged Kittiwake – 1
Caspian Tern – 35
Royal Tern – 56
Forster’s Tern – 80
Black Skimmer – 2
Common Murre – 75
Marbled Murrelet – 2
Ancient Murrelet – 4
Rhinoceros Auklet – 4
Rock Pigeon - 497
Band-tailed Pigeon – 198135
Eurasian Collared Dove – 224
Mourning Dove – 440
Greater Roadrunner – 3
Barn Owl – 5
Western Screech-Owl – 10
Great Horned Owl – 17
Burrowing Owl – 3
Spotted Owl – 1
Long-eared Owl – 1
Short-eared Owl – 1
Northern Saw-whet Owl – 2
White-throated Swift – 12
swift sp. – 200
Anna’s Hummingbird – 431
Belted Kingfisher – 10
Acorn Woodpecker – 29
Red-naped Sapsucker – 3
Red-breasted Sapsucker – 4
Nuttall’s Woodpecker – 60
Downy Woodpecker – 15
Hairy Woodpecker – 13
Northern (r-s) Flicker – 91
Northern (y-s) Flicker – 1
Black Phoebe – 159
Eastern Phoebe – 1
Say’s Phoebe – 125
Cassin’s Kingbird – 1
Loggerheaded Shrike – 8
Hutton’s Vireo – 26
Steller’s Jay – 48
Western Scrub-Jay – 406
Yellow-billed Magpie – 4
American Crow – 1299
Horned Lark – 4
Tree Swallow – 7
Barn Swallow – 3
Chestnut-sided Chickadee – 121
Oak Titmouse – 26
Bushtit – 917
Red-breasted Nuthatch – 10
White-breasted Nuthatch – 3
Brown Creeper – 2
Rock Wren – 8
Canyon Wren – 1
Bewick’s Wren -82
House Wren – 7
Winter Wren – 1
Marsh Wren – 13
Golden-crowned Kinglet -- 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 367
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 36
Western Bluebird – 205
Mountain Bluebird – 5
Hermit Thrush – 190
American Robin – 174
Varied Thrush – 1
Wrentit – 153
Northern Mockingbird – 104
California Thrasher – 40
European Starling – 2998
American Pipit – 113
Cedar Waxwing – 105
Orange-crowned Warbler – 37
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 173
“Audubon’s” Warbler– 784
“Myrtle” Warbler – 163
Black-throated Gray Warbler -- 1
Townsend’s Warbler - 101
Grace’s Warbler – 1
Common Yellowthroat – 42
Wilson’s Warbler – 1
Spotted Towhee – 97
California Towhee – 177
Rufous-crowned Sparrow - 17
Lark Sparrow – 10
Savannah Sparrow – 229
Fox Sparrow – 199
Song Sparrow – 101
Lincoln’s Sparrow – 27
White-throated Sparrow – 6
White-crowned Sparrow – 3780
Golden-crowned Sparrow – 932
Dark-eyed Junco – 420
Red-winged Blackbird – 1589
Tricolored Blackbird – 9
Western Meadowlark – 884
Yellow-headed Blackbird – CW
Brewer’s Blackbird – 1875
Great-tailed Grackle – CW
Brown-headed Cowbird - 910
Orchard Oriole – 1
Bullock’s Oriole – 1
Purple Finch – 50
House Finch – 1059
Pine Siskin – 58
Lesser Goldfinch – 283
American Goldfinch – 265
House Sparrow – 164