Bird Counts
Bird populations are constantly changing. But no scientist or team of scientists could possibly track the complicated patterns of movement of species around the world. That’s where citizen scientists can help!
Local Counts
2022 SILVER CITY CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT — John Gorey, Compiler
2022 was the 61st year the Silver City CBC was conducted. Weather was very cold early on but temperatures rebounded quickly and it was a pleasant sunny day. A total of 42 people participated with 29 along the 11 established routes and 13 people doing feeder counts.
2022: Species Count - 93 | Individual Birds - 6364
2021: Species Count - 85| Individual Birds - 5755
2020: Species Count - 106 | Individual Birds - 7490
Species counts were up 9%, and individuals were up 11% from 2021. This is an increase from the average by around 20%. Sometime in the future I will do a comparison of this increasing trend and the survey effort data to get a more accurate picture of how bird numbers have changed in the area. Rare birds were in fact rare in 2022.
Here is a list of unusual birds and count numbers from this year’s count:
Species | 2022 count | Average | Notes
Dark-eyed Junco | 232 | 584 | Second lowest count ever
Mexican Jay | 141 | 49 | Record high
Marsh Wren | 1 | <1 | First record since 2006
Rufous Hummingbird | 2 | <1 | 6th record
Belted Kingfisher | 4 | 1 | Record high
Black Phoebe | 8 | 2 | Record high
Woodhouse's Scrub Jay | 250 | 54 | Record high
Rock Wren | 14 | 2 | Record high by a lot
Cactus Wren | 19 | 5 | Record high by a lot
Townsend's Solitaire | 40 | 9 | Record high
Vesper Sparrow| 36 | 7 | Record high
Savannah Sparrow | 39 | 7 | Record high
As noted in the table, most Jay species had record years, as did wrens. Townsend’s Solitaire and Black Phoebes also had unusually high numbers. Dark-eyed Juncos were remarkably absent during the count. White-crowned sparrows which are often trending similar to Juncos were actually far above average in 2022.
Thank you to everyone who participated this year! We hope to see even more participants in the years to come! Stay tuned for a more detailed report in the following weeks.
2022 GILA RIVER CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT — Linda Moore, Compiler
The Gila River Christmas Bird Count was conducted on December 31, 2022 after dodging multiple and varying weather forecasts. The day was lovely for the count, with calm winds and a low temperature in the mid-20's and a high in the mid-60's. Sixteen observers ventured out in the field to identify and count birds prior to welcoming in a new year.
Rare and unusual birds were scarce this year, with a dusky flycatcher and 2 orange-crowned warblers being the most uncommon. The 5 vermillion flycatchers seen were on the high side of previous counts. High counts were also noted for 7 other species – Gila woodpecker, Woodhouse scrub jay, Juniper titmouse, Hermit thrush, White-throated sparrow, Northern cardinal and Great-tailed grackles.
Comparing the 2022 CBC with recent year counts, the total number of individual birds was much higher. In 2019 with 6 routes covered, there were 77 species and 1655 individual birds counted. 2020 was 8 routes with 101 species and 4566 birds, 2021 had 10 routes with 105 species and 3456 birds, and 2022 10 routes with 92 species and 5215 individual birds counted.
2021 GILA RIVER CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT — Linda Moore, Compiler
→ Read the Report
2021 SILVER CITY CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT — John Gorey, Compiler
2020 SILVER CITY CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT — John Gorey, Compiler
2016 - 2017 SILVER CITY CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT — Roland Shook, Compiler
1997 - 2015 SILVER CITY CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS
Annual Bird Counts
- Winter Raptor Count: January (dates set locally)
- Great Backyard Bird Count: February
- Global Big Day: 2nd Saturday in May
- October Big Day: 2nd Saturday in October
- Project FeederWatch: 2nd Saturday in November; runs for 21 weeks
- Christmas Bird Count: Dates set locally
Useful Bird Count Links
- American Birding Association: Organization for recreational birders
- American Bird Conservancy: Organization committed to protecting birds and their habitats
- Audubon Bird Guide App: Free mobile field guide to over 800 species of North American birds
- Audubon Guide to Bird ID: Free online guide of more than 800 species of North American birds
- Audubon New Mexico: Unifying New Mexicans to protect our state’s rich biodiversity
- Audubon en Español
- Christmas Bird Counts Trends Viewer
- Cornell Project FeederWatch: A November-April survey of birds that visit yards in North America
- EBird.org: Web site and app to record birds sighted and find hotspots/birds near you
- Gila National Forest: Key areas to view wildlife in the Gila National Forest
- Guide to Birding From Our Window:Annotated collection of resources for bird watching at home
- HomeAdvisor.com Birdwatching Guide: Annotated collection of resources for bird watching at home
- Merlin Bird ID: Mobile app to help identify the birds you see or hear
- NatureInstruct Dendroica: An aid to identifying Western Hemisphere birds
- TripBuzz.com Birdwatching Guide: Annotated collection of bird-watching resources
- Xeno-Canto global birdsong: Web site dedicated to sharing bird sounds from all over the world
eBird Pro Tip: Bird Counting 101
Have trouble counting birds, especially large numbers? We all do. Find out everything you need to learn how to count with confidence - Bird Counting 101