Lewiston/Auburn CBC 12/21/19

[Linda Seamans]

The Stanton Bird Club conducted its 40th Christmas Bird Count of the Lewiston and Auburn area on Saturday, December 21st. In total, twenty-three people participated and recorded 45 species; the average since 2000 is 48. There was 1" of snow on the ground and most open water was frozen. The grand total of 4,924 individual birds was well below the average of 5,600. We had a partly sunny day, no winds and temperatures starting at 4 degrees, rising to 30 by the end of the day.    

 

Overall, waterfowl numbers were low in comparison to prior years.  There was open water on the Androscoggin River, however no open water at Lake Auburn, Sabattus or Taylor Pond.  There were no new bird species added to the count this year. 

Less-often-seen birds included Redpolls and Pine Siskins seen at Perkins Ridge, a Hermit Thrush, Bluebirds, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Barrows Goldeneye and 2 Peregrine Falcons.  Count for Red Tail Hawk, Pileated Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse, Northern Cardinal and Mockingbird reached new highs, while Dark Eyed Junco, American Tree Sparrow, American Crow and Rock Dove counts were above average.  On the low side, Black-capped Chickadee, Mallards and Ring Billed Gulls were below average this year.