Christmas Bird Count

I am excited to announce that we had 51 people participate in the count and ended up with 128 unique species, which makes this the third highest count for the circle (tied with last year’s total). So despite a somewhat slow morning and afternoon, we still managed to detect an impressive diversity of birds across the city. This could not have been done without enthusiastic participants, knowledgeable leaders, and fabulous weather too! So please give yourselves a pat on the back, as I could not have hoped for the day to go more smoothly!

Some highlights and top finds from the day include:

• White-tipped Dove and Winter Wrens found by Shelia Hargis in Zone 4
• Long-billed Dowitchers observed by Jesse Huth and Colton Robbins east of I-35
• Gray Catbird skulking near Spring Lake by Christina Farrell
• Short-eared Owl seen by Justin Bosler at dusk near the airport

We also had our highest counts of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (477), Great Horned Owls (13), Eastern Bluebirds (91), and Harris’ Sparrows (12). Additionally, we had surprisingly low counts of several species that are often quite abundant, including American Robins (only 18) and Cedar Waxwings (94), and low numbers of other relatively common species, including Hermit Thrush (3), Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (2), and Common Grackle (1).

All in all, this CBC was a success and continues to be a fantastic way for all of us to understand how bird diversity and populations are shifting within our circle across time. So bravo for a job well done and for contributing to important citizen science!

If you’re interested in diving into the results more, please see the complete 2023 tally here. Rows highlighted in gray do not count towards our circle total. Species highlighted in yellow required a rare bird form.

Wishing all of you the best during this holiday season and looking forward to seeing y’all for the 9th San Marcos CBC in 2024!

---

Submitted by SMGA member Rebekah Rylander.