American Birds 2009-2010, Summary of the 110th Christmas Bird Count

American Birds 110: Cover Page
Nick Saunders

Whether the prediction is for a big irruption year or not, one of the hoped-for rewards for a day in the field on just about any Christmas Bird Count season across much of North America is the chance at encountering some "winter finches." Even in non-invasion seasons such as the 110th, crossbills are a real treat for observers in many locations continent-wide. One of the counts blessed with good numbers of Red Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra) during the 110th count was Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where this individual was artfully portrayed.

In keeping with the past several seasons, weather systems again were the big story for the 110th CBC, especially on weekends and especially in the heavily CBC-laden Northeastern region.  Yet despite potentially challenging conditions and the re-scheduling or cancelling of a number of counts, for the 110th Count another new record high number of counts was submitted (2160) and additionally a record high level of participation was reached (60,753 observers).  Coverage in Latin America continues to increase; there are now more Christmas Bird Counts in Colombia than any other country after the United States and Canada.

 In addition to overall and regional CBC summaries, feature articles in this season’s American Birds include: the importance of citizen science to bird conservation; the challenges and rewards of CBCs in the Polar regions; an initial summary of CBC results in Latin America; a feature on CBCs in Colombia; and documenting the effects of Hurricane Ike on the Gulf Coast of Texas.

Note: all articles below require a recent version of Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing.

Pages 95-128 contain these items:Christmas Bird Count Editorial Codes and Database Flags, Count Circles, Codes, and Compilers on the 110th Count,Summary of Highest Counts of Individuals for Canada, by Richard J. Cannings, Summary of Highest Counts of Individuals for the United States, by Brent Ortego, All-time Highest Counts of Individual Species on Canadian CBCs, by Richard J. Cannings, and All-time Highest Counts of Individual Species on United States CBCs, by Brent Ortego.

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