58 species of birds counted on Island

Published 11:40 am Tuesday, January 13, 2015

The 115th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count was held on Mercer Island on Dec. 27.

According to organizers, the weather conditions were excellent and unusually warm for the count. The weather for the day turned out to be 48 degrees; there was no rain but some wind.  Thirteen participants divided into four groups to count both the water and land birds.

Islander Judith Roan, who organized the count, said the group tallied 58 species of bird and had a total of 2,625 individual birds. Not surprisingly, the most number of species were found at the North end of the Island in and around Luther Burbank Park. That group of observers, headed by Linda Anchondo, found 43 species of birds. A highlight was the siting of a resident Peregrine Falcon under the East Channel Bridge.

In years past, a pair of the birds have nested there, Roan said.

Ducks in general were down in numbers, Roan said. No Ruddy Ducks were found in the entire Seattle count area. She did note that the lake was choppy and made it difficult to see water fowl.

“The Western Grebes continue to decline in numbers and this year our lowest number ever,” she added. “We found just nine. During the 1990s they were recorded in the hundreds.”

Yet the group found that Pine Siskins were up in numbers this year. Pine Siskins tend to fluctuate in numbers from year to year. Large flocks of 100 or more were seen here on Mercer Island and in the entire count area.

The Fox Sparrow, above left, is seen on the Island only during winter months. The group found only four  this year.

The data from the Island count is added to Seattle Audubon’s compilation for the area.

Linda Anchondo, Kevan Atteberry and Marty Jackson peer up at the Peregrine Falcon on a light standard from under I-90 (photo by Valery Cochran).

Just four of the Fox Sparrow were seen on the Island during the December count (photo by Judith Roan).

Below, an Anna’s Hummingbird was photographed in Mercer Island’s First Hill neighborhood in mid-December (photo by Judith Roan).