The John Martin Reservoir CBC took place on Monday, December 18th, postponed by a major storm event on the scheduled count day of December 14th. The 16 participants were rewarded with a calm day with temperatures in the upper 50s and light winds. 108 species were tallied, for an average of 6.75 species added to the count for every participant. Truly, every participant makes a difference to count results here. This is an average count for this CBC. Many unusual birds were seen, with some first-time misses.
New for the count were 3 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS. Four shorebird species were found (Killdeer, Least Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs and the Dowitchers). Perhaps for the first time, Wilson's Snipe could not be found.
Nearly all expected duck species were found, some (like Red-breasted Merganser) in record numbers. "Puddle" ducks were conspicuous, especially on Lake Hasty. We often have a hard time finding them on this count. One Long-tailed Duck was found among thousands of other waterfowl on the Reservoir, but there were no Scoters. Notably absent was Wood Duck, missed for the first time (I have noticed increased hunter pressure at all of their favorite haunts). Snow Geese numbers were way down, with only 5000 on the reservoir.
Only 4 species of gulls were located, well below average. Despite open water, there were no Loons, and only one Eared Grebe, not normal for this count.
Land birds picked up some of the slack.
Three Ladder-backed Woodpeckers was a new high for the count. One party found a Say's Phoebe. There were single Gray Catbirds and Curve-billed Thrashers. The count tallied a Red-breasted Nuthatch for only the second time. Wrens highlighted the count with four Bewick's Wrens, one Winter Wren, and one CAROLINA WREN, for the second time on the count. We found no warblers, unusual for the count.
Our counters are good at finding wintering sparrows. One party found six Savannah Sparrows. Another found a Lincoln's Sparrow. Four Harris' Sparrows was a high for the count. Song and American Tree Sparrows were seen in record low numbers, while White-crowned Sparrows seem to have taken over the planet here.
The most popular bird on the count was a female EASTERN TOWHEE, seen and photographed by more than half the count participants. I have stopped feeding in the bottomlands it haunts, as it's so labor intensive, and passing trains and hordes of hunters make seeing it dangerous. Four Northern Cardinals were tallied at three separate locations, often near the Towhees.
Blackbirds were well represented on the count, with all eight species of grackles, blackbirds as well as Brown-headed Cowbird present in good numbers. Six Rusty Blackbirds at a feedlot provided a new count high.
Some year, maybe the stars will align, and land, water and mountain birds will all show up in the same year. We'll keep trying.
Duane Nelson
Las Animas, Bent Counnty, CO
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