Tropical Audubon Society

South Florida’s Voice of Conservation

Like a Pennsylvania election, the Kendall CBC results may roll in slow, but we get it done eventually. With all precincts finally reporting, I am pleased to report another highly successful count. We tallied 138 species, plus another 10 exotics. We also had 4 more species during Count Week, plus one exotic (Magnificent Frigatebird, Cedar Waxwing, Western Tanager, and Bullock's Oriole, plus Nanday Parakeet). The full list is at the bottom of this report.

One species was new for Count Day - Snail Kite (one which visited the canal alongside my house for almost three weeks!). The Bullock's Oriole was also new, but for Count Week only. Among the day's highlights were an amazing 5 Rufous/Allen's Hummingbirds were tallied by the Zoo Miami Crew, a pheucticus grosbeak (which could not be established as to species, although likely Rose-breasted) found by Alex Harper, a Solitary Sandpiper seen and photographed by Eliana & Marc Kramer, and a Warbling Vireo found and photographed by Judd Patterson.

What was most unexpected was the numbers of birds reported. Having participated in both the Miami and Coot Bay CBCs, I knew neotropical migrant numbers had been down somewhat all around. But…to quote Carlos Sanchez, "The Kendall Count is Where America's Warblers Winter". We totaled 21 species of warblers for the day. Our count routinely leads the nation in certain numbers of neotropical migrants, and this year we broke many of our own records. We had new Count highs for Blue-gray Gnatcatchers (621), Black-and-white Warbler (111), Common Yellowthroat (83), American Redstart (tie at 69), Northern Parula (156), Yellow Warbler (3), Black-throated Blue Warbler (33), Yellow-throated Warbler (70), Prairie Warbler (114), and Baltimore Oriole (7)!

It was not only neotropicals that tallied good numbers. Raptors were aloft, and we set new Count highs for Sharp-shinned Hawk (10), Bald Eagle (9), Red-shouldered Hawk (32), Red-tailed Hawk (9), Merlin (tie at 4) and American Kestrel (32). We also had new Count high numbers for Muscovy Duck, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Turkey Vulture, Herring Gull, Royal Tern, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Fish Crow, Brown Thrasher, House Finch, and Northern Cardinal. Even our exotics got in on the action, with new highs for Indian Peafowl, Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, and Orange-winged Parrot.

There were a few misses that stung - Least Sandpiper was missed for only the 3rd time in 18 years, Common Ground-Dove for only the 4th time, and no swallows were seen at all (only once before, in 2013).

I'm proud that so many birders participated. On the day after Christmas, in this COVID-19 environment, we were able to cover all the major parks, and most minor ones, while maintaining social distancing by eliminating teams, and giving birders smaller areas with distinct target areas so they could be covered solo. We also had people who simply covered neighborhoods, or even just their own yards, adding quality observations. For those who did not see Audubon’s report on last year’s CBC, allow me to quote: “Kendall Area, FL, led the Nation for the first time with the highest counts for 20 species and four exotics.” Quite an accomplishment for our little suburban count!

Thank you to all who participated this year: Alex Harper, Alyssa Crittenden, Betty Hernandez, Bonnie Masdeu, Brandon Trentler, Brian Rapoza, Carlos Sanchez, Dan Smyth, Daria Feinstein, Dennis Olle, Eliana Kramer, Frank Ridgely and the Zoo Crew (Angie Gonzalez’ Christina Whelan, Daniel Motiono, Ezequiel Bugallo, Genevive Simon, Grant Fischer, Jessica Klumb, Josephine Whelan, Kevin Whelan, Kibby Treiber, Larry Hambree, Luke Whelan, Mike Perez, Nancy Hambree, Rachael Peck, Russell Martin) Glenn Huberman, Jack Crittenden, James Gersing, Jeanette Alvarez, Jeanette Rawls, Jeanne Kaufman, Joe Barros, Joe Montes De Oca, Judd Patterson, Karen Picciano, Mark Kramer, Marta Magellan, Michelle Davis, Miriam Avello, Noah Frade, Omar Paez, Rangel Diaz, Raul Urguelles, Roberto Torres, Roxanne Featherly, Sally O'Byrne, Silvia Bermudez, Stephen Paez, and Steve Woodmansee.

The list:

Egyptian Goose 234
Muscovy Duck 885
Mottled Duck 19
Blue-winged Teal 29
Am. Green-winged Teal 3
Ring-necked Duck 6
Red-breasted Merganser 8
Pied-billed Grebe 34
Wood Stork 59
Magnificent Frigatebird CW
Double-crested Cormorant 191
Anhinga 29
American White Pelican 34
Brown Pelican 60
Great Blue Heron 41
Great Egret 97
Snowy Egret 8
Little Blue Heron 34
Tricolored Heron 27
Cattle Egret 152
Green Heron 22
Black-crowned Night Heron 1
Yellow-crowned Night Heron 13
White Ibis 2676
Glossy Ibis 19
Black Vulture 503
Turkey Vulture 5146
Osprey 34
Snail Kite 1
Northern Harrier 11
Sharp-shinned Hawk 10
Cooper's Hawk 12
Bald Eagle 9
Red-shouldered Hawk 32
Broad-winged Hawk 7
Short-tailed Hawk 18
Red-tailed Hawk 9
King Rail 3
Common Gallinule 140
American Coot 153
Limpkin 2
American Avocet 1
Black-bellied Plover 5
Semipalmated Plover 16
Killdeer 71
Spotted Sandpiper 11
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs 9
Willet 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 7
Ruddy Turnstone 14
Long-billed Dowitcher 3
Laughing Gull 3049
Ring-billed Gull 256
Herring Gull 80
Lesser Black-backed Gull 201
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Royal Tern 38
Rock Pigeon 271
White-crowned Pigeon 37
Eurasian Collared Dove 246
White-winged Dove 42
Mourning Dove 213
Mangrove Cuckoo 2
Barn Owl 2
Eastern Screech Owl 8
Great Horned Owl 2
Burrowing Owl 2
Barred Owl 1
Eastern Whip-poor-will 3
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 75
Rufous Hummingbird 5
Belted Kingfisher 17
Red-bellied Woodpecker 160
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 32
Downy Woodpecker 5
Northern Flicker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 3
American Kestrel 72
Merlin 4
Peregrine Falcon 2
Monk Parakeet 137
Mitred Parakeet 221
Eastern Phoebe 32
Great Crested Flycatcher 21
Loggerhead Shrike 18
White-eyed Vireo 12
Yellow-throated Vireo 15
Blue-headed Vireo 63
Warbling Vireo 1
Blue Jay 216
Fish Crow 826
House Wren 14
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 621
Red-whiskered Bulbul 5
Gray Catbird 129
Brown Thrasher 4
Northern Mockingbird 316
European Starling 908
Common Myna 8
Cedar Waxwing CW
Scaly-breasted Munia 40
Ovenbird 18
Worm-eating Warbler 4
Northern Waterthrush 9
Louisiana Waterthrush 2
Black-and-white Warbler 111
Tennessee Warbler 1
Orange-crowned Warbler 6
Common Yellowthroat 83
American Redstart 69
Cape May Warbler 10
Northern Parula 156
Magnolia Warbler 6
Yellow Warbler 3
Black-throated Blue Warbler 33
Palm Warbler 494
Pine Warbler 97
Yellow-rumped Warbler 389
Yellow-throated Warbler 70
Prairie Warbler 114
Black-throated Green Warbler 11
Wilson's Warbler 1
Grasshopper Sparrow 3
Savannah Sparrow 5
Eastern Towhee 4
Summer Tanager 1
Western Tanager CW
Northern Cardinal 171
Painted Bunting 44
Red-winged Blackbird 86
Eastern Meadowlark 9
Common Grackle 529
Boat-tailed Grackle 390
Shiny Cowbird 1
Bronzed Cowbird 1
Spot-breasted Oriole 2
Baltimore Oriole 6
Bullock's Oriole CW
House Finch 7
American Goldfinch 2
House Sparrow 91

Domestic Goose 23
Mute Swan 5
Indian Peafowl 89
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet 223
Scaly-headed Parrot 2
Orange-winged Parrot 59
Nanday Parakeet CW
Blue-and-Yellow Macaw 15
Chestnut-fronted Macaw 6
Red-masked Parakeet 86
Common Hill Myna 2