The 93rd Montauk Christmas Bird Count was conducted on Saturday, December 17th. This year marks the 102nd anniversary of the first Montauk Count, which took place in 1920.
Forty-five participants in five areas counted *131 species* on the count day. This represents our highest total over the last ten years. Conditions were challenging, with winds consistently at 20-30mph. Seas were rough, making it difficult to observe birds sitting on the water. Passerines were forced into sheltered areas. Species highlights included the first count record of *Trumpeter Swan *in Lake West, which was along the north edge of Fort Pond for most of the day (and briefly on the Ice Pond near Duryea's). The fourth count record of *Painted Bunting* was discovered along the eastern edge of Fort Hill Cemetery, also in Lake West. A *Barn Owl* heard in the Point South area was the 28th record, though extremely rare in recent decades. A *Clapper Rail* in Accabonac was only the third count record. Other interesting species include *Harlequin Duck* (Gardiners Island), *American Oystercatcher* (Napeague), 51 *Black-legged Kittiwake* (Point South and Lake West), four *Laughing Gull* (Point North, Point South, Lake West), *Glaucous Gull* (Lake West), *Great Egret* (Accabonac, only the sixth count record), *Short-eared Owl *(two on Gardiners Island), *Eastern Phoebe* (Lake West), and *House Wren* (Lake West). A remarkable new high count of *2,549* was set for *Razorbill*. In addition, new high counts were set for *American Wigeon* (862, all but two on Gardiners Island), *Hooded Merganser* (260), *Lesser Black-backed Gull* (6), and *Red-tailed Hawk* (44). Observers noted low counts of sea ducks -- a trend that continues from last year. Half-hardy passerines were less abundant than in recent years, possibly due to colder temperatures in November and December. For example, 25 Gray Catbirds and 396 White-throated Sparrows were recorded, which is well off last year's respective all-time highs of 115 and 1164. Species showing a slight uptick in numbers included Bonaparte's Gull (371), Iceland Gull (4), Red-throated Loon (800), and Great Cormorant (18). Red-necked Grebe (difficult to spot in the windy conditions) and Snowy Owl (an irregular visitor) were local specialties not observed on count day. Brown-headed Cowbird and Common Grackle are more regionally common, but are also quite irregular and missed by counters. Finally, Pine Warbler, which has recently occurred in numbers in the Napeague pine barrens, was not seen. Our deepest thanks to Frank Quevedo and the South Fork Natural History Museum for hosting the compilation and providing dinner, to the Hampton Coffee Company for providing coffee, to all participants for joining us and to the area leaders for organizing coverage. For those interested, the 2023 Count will take place on *Saturday, December 16, 2023*. Co-Compilers Brent Bomkamp Angus Wilson -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
