Denver Urban CBC

[Hugh Kingery]

We finally have count totals for the 30th Denver Urban CBC; below, a few highlights.
* 95 species (a high count), 46,017 individuals -- 117% of the average number on the 30 Urban counts.)
* Three new species:
        Black Phoebe, staked out by Bob Canter at the Water Plant along the Platte;
        House Wren, found by Jeff Dawson's group at Cherry Creek Reservoir;
        Common Redpoll, seen by Charlie Chase & Urling Kingery and me at Rocky Mtn Arsenal NWR.
* High species counts for:
        Bald Eagle - 96 (previous high 95)
        Red-tailed Hawk - 154 (prev, high 142; never more than 100 until 2015)
        Blue Jay - 64 (63 in 2000; average 47)
        Black-capped Chickadee 367 (310 in 2015; average 219)
        Red-breasted Nuthatch - 54 (42 in 2014; average 19)
        White-breasted Nuthatch - 60 (29 in 2016; average 13)
        Brown Creeper - 27 (27in 1991; ave. 12)
        American Goldfinch - 166 (155 in 2000; ave. 68).
* Contrariwise, we counted only 3,453 passerines, the lowest ever and the average 9,898.   
        City birds came in at very low numbers. Eur. Starling - 1357 (25% of average)
        House Sparrow at 311 (18% of average), and
        House Finch 687 (48% of average).
About 135 of us participated on a rather cold day.
       

Hugh Kingery
Franktown, CO