1

Lakewood Christmas Bird Count Report 2015

Submitted by Nancy Howell, Compiler for the Lakewood Circle, Western

Cuyahoga Audubon Society
Date:
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Results:
68 Species: 74 Participants
Time out in the field:
06:45 to 15:30
Circle:
Lakewood (OHLK)
Lat/Long:
41.4602260000, -81.8576360000
Summary Overview

The 2015 Lakewood Circle (west side of Cleveland) Christmas Bird Count was well covered by 74
participants. December 2015 was one of the more unusual months, weather-wise, and most likely
contributed to the species found or not. Meteorologists reported that December 2015 had been the
warmest December on record for our area with temperatures throughout the month well above normal.
On count day, temperatures began at 50 degrees with overcast skies and lots of rain and drizzle. As the
day wore on, temperatures steadily declined to the low 40s and, for some, the upper 30s. Very little
wind was a blessing, but the rain which lasted half of the day, then persisted as drizzle, made for some
difficult birding difficult to see, to hear and even the birds didnt want to get wet. The mild weather
left Lake Erie and any inland waters; lakes, streams and rivers, wide open. Nothing to concentrate water
birds. Similarly, songbirds were not concentrated by food sources due to the mild weather.
As one reads through the list it may be noticeable that many species, normally seen at the time of the
Christmas Count, are missing or were seen in low numbers. The list includes
63
species
on count day
and
5 count week for a total of
68 species
. As of January 8, 2016, with all lists accounted for, below are
the results of the 2015 Lakewood Circle (OH) Christmas Bird Count. Following the species list is
commentary on the findings and lastly the list of participants.

2016 Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society.

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Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, 4310 Bush Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109
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Web:
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Note: Rare, unusual or unexpected species are

bold,
while count week (
CW
) species are in
italics
.

Bird List

Species

Lakewood CBC Count

1.

Canada Goose

1435

2.

Tundra Swan

CW

3.

Mallard

567

4.

American Black Duck

5.

Wood Duck

6.

Redhead

7.

Greater Scaup

8.

White-winged Scoter

9.

Surf Scoter

10.

Common Goldeneye

663

11.

Red-breasted Merganser

4656

12.

Wild Turkey

13.

Common Loon

14.

Horned Grebe

29

15.

Pied-billed Grebe

16.

Double-crested Cormorant

12

17.

Great Blue Heron

18.

Bald Eagle

19.

Coopers Hawk

20.

Red-tailed hawk

23

21.

Red-shouldered Hawk

2016 Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society.

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Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, 4310 Bush Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109
Email:
info@wcaudubon.org
Web:
http://www.wcaudubon.org

22.

American Kestrel

23.

Peregrine Falcon

24.

American Coot

25.

Ring-billed Gull

4472

26.

Herring Gull

188

27.

Great Black-backed Gull

28.

Lesser Black-backed Gull

29.

Bonapartes Gull

1803

30.

Rock Pigeon

254

31.

Mourning Dove

141

32.

Great Horned Owl

CW

33.

Barred Owl

34.

Belted Kingfisher

35.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

58

36.

Downy Woodpecker

101

37.

Hairy Woodpecker

21

38.

Northern Flicker

39.

Pileated Woodpecker

40.

American Crow

86

41.

Blue Jay

194

42.

Black-capped Chickadee

276

43.

Tufted Titmouse

100

44.

White-breasted Nuthatch

71

45.

Brown Creeper

46.

Carolina Wren

2016 Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society.

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Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, 4310 Bush Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109
Email:
info@wcaudubon.org
Web:
http://www.wcaudubon.org

47.

Winter Wren

CW

48.

Golden-crowned Kinglet

49.

Eastern Bluebird

50.

American Robin

506

51.

Northern Mockingbird

CW

52.

Gray Catbird

CW

53.

European Starling

919

54.

Cedar Waxwing

55.

American Tree Sparrow

209

56.

Chipping Sparrow

57.

Fox Sparrow

58.

Song Sparrow

45

59.

Swamp Sparrow

60.

White-throated Sparrow

40

61.

Dark-eyed Junco

317

62.

Northern Cardinal

165

63.

Red-winged Blackbird

63

64.

Common Grackle

65.

Brown-headed Cowbird

66.

House Finch

139

67.

American Goldfinch

206

68.

House Sparrow

929

2016 Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society.

Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works.
Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, 4310 Bush Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109
Email:
info@wcaudubon.org
Web:
http://www.wcaudubon.org

5
Mild weather and rain were the two weather items that influenced the 2015 Lakewood Circle (OH)
Christmas Bird Count. A few other choice words regarding the rain were indicated by some participants,
but they are not fit to print (just kidding). Lake Erie and all inland lakes, ponds and rivers were free of
ice. Rain before and on count day caused rivers and streams to be swollen and in some areas,
dangerously swiftly. Waterfowl species and numbers were considerably lower than in past years.
Dabbling duck diversity (ooh, say that fast, three times) was low with no species out of the ordinary.
Diving and big water ducks, were down greatly. One Redhead, one Greater Scaup were pathetically low
numbers and the Redhead was not even sighted on Lake Erie, it was located on a small pond. Common
Goldeneye had respectable numbers. Two species of scoter Surf and White-winged were nice finds.
The only merganser tallied was the Red-breasted Merganser, again with very low numbers. No
Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser
and Ruddy Ducks were noted. Mild weather, open water and, perhaps, the birds not even arriving from
the north, all seem to add up to the poor showing of waterfowl.
Common Loons, Horned and Pied-billed Grebes were good finds on Lake Erie. A dozen
Double-crested Cormorants and a few American Coot rounded out the list of water birds on the lake.
Wild Turkey were noted by a couple of groups this year which is nice since sometimes they are missed.
Nine Great Blue Heron as well as 9 Belted Kingfisher were counted, some along the high waters of
streams and rivers and some along lakes and ponds.
Hawks, eagles and falcons were observed by a number of groups, but nothing unusual. No matter the
weather, they had to be out hunting for their meals.
Ring-billed, Herring and Bonapartes Gull numbers were lower than in past years, again due to the open
waters of Lake Erie. Five Great Black-backed Gulls and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls made nice
additions to the list.
Scraping up any owls was difficult. One Barred Owl was found on the day of the count. The Great
Horned Owl was noted during count week.
As we get into the species of birds that may be found at bird feeders, in backyards, and parks, numbers
of many species were lower. Woodpecker showings were respectable. American Crow numbers dipped a
bit, but again, were the birds just spread so widely that they were not counted or are their populations
truly down? A single Brown Creeper, 3 Carolina Wrens and 3 Golden-crowned Kinglets made the list.
Eastern Bluebirds were found by a couple of groups and over 500 American Robins were tallied with
some groups reporting large flocks. Compare this with the 2014 CBC American Robin tally of only 159
birds. Cedar Waxwing made for a nice addition to the count. During count week a single Gray Catbird
was photographed in a residential area of Lakewood which was nice.
Sparrow species were typical of what is generally found in the count circle. American Tree Sparrow and
Dark-eyed Juncos numbers were fairly high, Song and White-throated Sparrows were in good number,
Swamp Sparrows should be more common, but their numbers are consistently low. Five Fox Sparrows

2016 Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society.

Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works.
Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, 4310 Bush Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109
Email:
info@wcaudubon.org
Web:
http://www.wcaudubon.org

6
were a good find for count day and a winter plumaged Chipping Sparrow was a great addition to count
day.
Red - winged Blackbirds and Common Grackle seem to be becoming winter regulars in the count circle.
While not many, they do add to the list. Two Brown-headed Cowbirds, while maybe not the most
delightful of species, also made the list this year. American Goldfinch were fairly abundant, but House
Finch numbers seemed to slip a bit. House Sparrows seemed to be everywhere.

Volunteers

Well-deserved thanks go out to all of the following who birded by car, on foot, watched feeders, did
some owling, etc. Apologies to those who I may have missed despite looking over the lists again and
again. Dont forget to look and plan ahead for 2016.

Jay Abercrombie, Alison Ball, Ken and Lois Ballas, Mary Bartos, Kit and Dennis Birch, Kathleen
Bradley, Nancy Brewer, Scott Brozell, Erik Bruder, Diane Busch, June Cangey, Lee and Mary Cavano,
Frank Comodeca, Bill Deininger, David Dvorak Jr., Mark Eberling, Brenda and Todd Eiben, Maria and
Charles Finchum, Bob Finkelstein, Joanne and Terry Gorges, Kurt Grenig, Sharon Hanse, Jim Heflich,
Heather Hodges, Nancy and Don Howell, Mary Lou Hura, Debra Jesionowski, Anna Julnes, Joan
Kafer, Rich Kassouf, Ethan Kistler, Tom Kosicki, Jeff and Marian Kraus, Jeff and Irene Krise, JoAnn
Kubicki, Ray Kutnar, Emily Larsen, Becky Lauer, Fred Losi, Paula Lozano, Terri Martincic, Jim
McCarty, Mary Lou McGuire, Liz McQuaid, Aaron Milenski, Tamyra Mouginis, Kathy Murphy, Penny
OConnor, Donna Owen, Michael Pasek, Chris Pierce, Marty Reynard, Craig Rieker, Tom and Mary
Anne Romito, Larry Rosche, Jeremiah Roth, Gaye Rule, Lisa Schlog, Linda Sekura, Judy Semroc, Mark
Shaver, Paul Sherwood, Chuck Slusarczyk, Jr. and Bev Walborn.

2016 Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society.

Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works.
Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, 4310 Bush Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109
Email:
info@wcaudubon.org
Web:
http://www.wcaudubon.org

Photos

Photo: CBC birders Mark, Kit, & Dennis Penny O'Connor

2016 Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society.

Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works.
Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, 4310 Bush Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109
Email:
info@wcaudubon.org
Web:
http://www.wcaudubon.org

Photo: Nancy finds blooming forsythia Penny O'Connor

Photo: Lots of rain made the Rocky River swell! Penny O'Connor

2016 Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society.

Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works.
Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, 4310 Bush Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109
Email:
info@wcaudubon.org
Web:
http://www.wcaudubon.org

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2016 Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society.

Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works.
Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, 4310 Bush Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109
Email:
info@wcaudubon.org
Web:
http://www.wcaudubon.org