In 1900, birders began counting birds for conservation purposes as opposed to the hunting parties popular during the Christmas season.
On this 124th annual Christmas Bird Count (the 52nd for Patagonia), held on December 19, a total of 6,238 individual birds of 120 species were counted by 59 volunteers. Birders scattered into the grasslands, valleys, mountains and the Town itself to count birds and collect data to send to the Audubon Society to help track the movement of birds.
This year, volunteers drove and walked miles to get to prime habitat, while others staked out their home feeders. Many local landowners and ranchers allowed volunteers onto their property for the day. Their cooperation is an important part of the success for the count. Despite the unusually dry conditions in most of the area, birding was rewarding.
White crowned sparrows were the birds of the day this year, with an estimated 983 individual birds identified. Chipping, vesper, and savannah sparrows were counted at 200-plus for each species. Doves, finches, ravens and woodpeckers were found in good numbers, too.
Rarities included winter wren, varied thrush, northern pygmy owl, rufous-backed robin and a golden eagle. An eagle hasn’t been seen during the count in some years.
Thank you to all volunteers, local merchants and landowners who supported this effort.
Species / Number (* = Uncommon sightings)
Mallard (Mexican) 2
Blue-winged Teal 2
Gambel’s Quail 55
Montezuma Quail 21
Wild Turkey 56
Great Blue Heron (Blue form) 3
Black-crowned Night Heron* 1
Black Vulture 2
Golden Eagle* 1
Northern Harrier 14
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Cooper’s Hawk 5
Accipiter sp. 1
Red-tailed Hawk 21
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)* 7
Eurasian Collared-Dove 112
Inca Dove 87
Ruddy Ground-Dove 1
White-winged Dove 300
Mourning Dove 365
Greater Roadrunner 5
Barn Owl 1
Great Horned Owl 1
Northern Pygmy Owl* 1
Anna’s Hummingbird 14
Broad billed Hummingbird 18
Violet crowned Hummingbird 6
Belted Kingfisher 1
Acorn Woodpecker 77
Gila Woodpecker 170
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker* 1
Red-naped Sapsucker 27
Red-breasted Sapsucker* 1
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 63
Arizona Woodpecker 7
Northern Flicker 56
American Kestrel 12
Merlin 2
Prairie Falcon 2
Hammond’s Flycatcher 5
Gray Flycatcher 6
Dusky Flycatcher 4
Black Phoebe 22
Say’s Phoebe 50
Vermilion Flycatcher 1
Ash-throated Flycatcher* 1
Loggerhead Shrike 3
Hutton’s Vireo 7
Mexican Jay 204
Common Raven 245
Horned Lark 85
Bridled Titmouse 96
Verdin 31
Bushtit 52
White-breasted Nuthatch 80
Rock Wren 8
House Wren 7
Winter Wren* 1
Marsh Wren 2
Bewick’s Wren 47
Cactus Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 114
Eastern Bluebird* 28
Western Bluebird 185
Hermit Thrush 42
Rufous-backed Robin* 1
American Robin 15
Varied Thrush* 1
Curve-billed Thrasher 38
Brown Thrasher* 1
Crissal Thrasher 5
Northern Mockingbird 30
European Starling 16
Phainopepla 18
Olive Warbler* 1
Chestnut-collared Longspur 5
Louisiana Waterthrush* 1
Orange-crowned Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 149
Yellow-rumped Warbler
(Audubon’s) 4
Black-throated Gray Warbler 1
Painted Redstart 1
Rufous-winged Sparrow 21
Chipping Sparrow 231
Black chinned Sparrow 16
Brewer’s Sparrow 17
Black throated Sparrow 12
Lark Sparrow 42
Lark Bunting 1
Fox Sparrow (Red)* 1
Dark-eyed Junco 68
Dark-eyed Junco (Pink-sided) 3
White-crowned Sparrow 983
White-throated Sparrow 2
Vesper Sparrow 315
Savannah Sparrow 196
Song Sparrow 30
Lincoln’s Sparrow 44
Sparrow sp 309
Canyon Towhee 52
Abert’s Towhee 35
Rufous-crowned Sparrow* 2
Green-tailed Towhee 31
Spotted Towhee 13
Hepatic Tanager 4
Summer Tanager* 1
Western Tanager* 1
Northern Cardinal 67
Pyrrhuloxia 28
Lazuli Bunting 15
Western Meadowlark 38
Eastern Meadowlark (Lilian’s) 18
Brewer’s Blackbird 86
House Finch 189
Pine Siskin 4
Lesser Goldfinch 111
House Sparrow 122
Northern Bobwhite 2