Tropical Audubon Society

South Florida’s Voice of Conservation

The Kendall CBC was run on December 23, 2017. After tabulating all the results, we reached an excellent 139 “countable” species (pending acceptance of reports by the State Compiler), with another 10 species of exotics, and one Count Week-only bird (Limpkin). We tallied 3 new species for the count—White-tailed Kite, Barred Owl, and White-winged Scoter.
As is usual, the three species with the highest individual numbers were Laughing Gull (4,300), White Ibis (3,000) and Turkey Vulture (2,000).

Although I had feared numbers would be down as a result of Hurricane Irma’s impact on fruiting trees and the canopy in general, I was surprised to see that among passerines and neotropical migrants, we set all-time bests on quite a few species. This may well be due to the excellent coverage by dedicated participants. Almost every warbler was recorded in record numbers:
Northern Parula (121), Yellow Warbler (2), Cape May Warbler (10), Black-throated Blue Warbler (27), Yellow-rumped Warbler (575), Yellow-throated Warbler (53), Prairie Warbler (112), Palm Warbler (530), Black-and-white Warbler (95), American Redstart (69), Northern Waterthrush (14), Common Yellowthroat (68), and Wilson's Warbler (3).

Most of these will also be national highs! In addition we set a new record with all 3 of the usual wintering vireos: Yellow-throated (16), White-eyed (13), and Blue-headed (57).

As expected, duck and shorebird numbers were very low, as there seems to be almost no good habitat left in the area. Aside from ubiquitous feral Muscovy Ducks and Egyptian Geese, we had a total of only 20 individual dabbling ducks, of 3 species (7 feral Mallard, 6 Mottled, and 7 Blue-winged Teal). 

Extra work by a number of volunteers in pre-dawn / post-sunset hours got us 5 owls (Barn, Barred, Great Horned, Eastern Screech, and Burrowing) and 3 nightjars (Chuck-will’s-widow, Eastern Whip-poor-will, and Lesser Nighthawk), several in record numbers.

I’d like to express my appreciation to Carlos Sanchez, who is always a great help in putting together count teams (and makes a mean tiramisu for the compilation party!), to Frank Ridgely, who each year coordinates all the volunteers at Zoo Miami, and to Patrick Griffith, for his assistance with access to Montgomery Botanical Center. Also, thanks to my long-suffering wife Liset for making such a great table of appetizers and snacks and putting up with a houseful of hungry, tired and thirsty birders at the end of the day!

Finally, thank you to all the birders who participated in the count:
Carlos Sanchez
Jeanne Kaufman
Benjamin Machado
Leticia de Mello
Charles Avenengo
Jack Crittenden
Jeanette Alvarez
Alyssa Crittenden
Jeff Weber
Edith Einsbruch
Marta Magellan
James Gersing
Judd Patterson
Eduardo Ibarra
Roberto Torres
Raul Urguelles
Richard Hoyer
Robin Diaz
Stephen Paez
Omar Paez
Joe Montes de Oca
Miriam Avello
Marc Kramer
Eliana Ardila
Noah Frade
Shane Runyon
Nico Salino
Frank Ridgely
Kibby Treibel
Rachael Peck
Alex Paez
Ezequiel Bugallo
Kresimir Golenja
Russell Martin
Michelle Gleman
Stacie Saylor Weiss
Brian Rapoza
Daria Feinstein
Jeanette Rawlings
Roxanne Featherly
Glenn Huberman

The species list:

Egyptian Goose 110
Muscovy Duck 615
Mallard 7
Mottled Duck 6
Blue-winged Teal 7
Ring-necked Duck 18
White-winged Scoter 1
Red-breasted Merganser 7
Indian Peafowl 74
Common Loon 1
Pied-billed Grebe 23
Wood Stork 38
Double-crested Cormorant 167
Anhinga 14
American White Pelican 1
Brown Pelican 64
Great Blue Heron 30
Great Blue Heron (White form) 1
Great Egret 72
Snowy Egret 16
Little Blue Heron 50
Tricolored Heron 33
Cattle Egret 295
Green Heron 21
Black-crowned Night-Heron 2
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 21
White Ibis 3000
Glossy Ibis 8
Black Vulture 129
Turkey Vulture 2000
Osprey 32
White-tailed Kite 1
Northern Harrier 6
Sharp-shinned Hawk 5
Cooper's Hawk 18
Bald Eagle 4
Red-shouldered Hawk 22
Broad-winged Hawk 2
Short-tailed Hawk 11
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Rallus sp. 1
Sora 2
Common Gallinule 80
American Coot 150
Limpkin CW
Black-necked Stilt 1
Killdeer 52
Spotted Sandpiper 8
Greater Yellowlegs 5
Lesser Yellowlegs 2
Ruddy Turnstone 12
Least Sandpiper 1
Long-billed Dowitcher 8
Wilson's Snipe 25
Laughing Gull 4300
Ring-billed Gull 285
Herring Gull 10
Lesser Black-backed Gull 67
Caspian Tern 1
Royal Tern 20
Rock Pigeon 365
White-crowned Pigeon 40
Eurasian Collared-Dove 260
Common Ground-Dove 3
White-winged Dove 21
Mourning Dove 250
Mangrove Cuckoo 2
Smooth-billed Ani 1
Barn Owl 2
Eastern Screech-Owl 22
Great Horned Owl 4
Burrowing Owl 4
Barred Owl 1
Lesser Nighthawk 1
Chuck-will's-widow 1
Eastern Whip-poor-will 5
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 104
Rufous Hummingbird 1
Belted Kingfisher 13
Red-bellied Woodpecker 141
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 27
Downy Woodpecker 5
Northern Flicker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 2
American Kestrel 37
Merlin 3
Peregrine Falcon 3
Monk Parakeet 50
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet 26
Orange-winged Parrot 11
Nanday Parakeet 7
Blue-and-yellow Macaw 10
Mitred Parakeet 600
Red-masked Parakeet 175
Least Flycatcher 1
Eastern Phoebe 71
Great Crested Flycatcher 17
Loggerhead Shrike 45
White-eyed Vireo 13
Yellow-throated Vireo 16
Blue-headed Vireo 57
Blue Jay 255
Fish Crow 810
Tree Swallow 13
House Wren 19
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 465
Red-whiskered Bulbul 32
Gray Catbird 195
Brown Thrasher 3
Northern Mockingbird 250
Common Hill Myna 1
European Starling 850
Ovenbird 21
Worm-eating Warbler 1
Northern Waterthrush 14
Black-and-white Warbler 95
Orange-crowned Warbler 6
Nashville Warbler 3
Common Yellowthroat 68
American Redstart 69
Cape May Warbler 10
Northern Parula 121
Magnolia Warbler 2
Yellow Warbler 2
Black-throated Blue Warbler 27
Palm Warbler 530
Pine Warbler 63
Yellow-rumped Warbler 575
Yellow-throated Warbler 53
Prairie Warbler 112
Black-throated Green Warbler 19
Wilson's Warbler 3
Yellow-breasted Chat 1
Grasshopper Sparrow 6
Savannah Sparrow 19
Eastern Towhee 2
Summer Tanager 5
Northern Cardinal 160
Indigo Bunting 7
Painted Bunting 47
Red-winged Blackbird 76
Eastern Meadowlark 16
Common Grackle 530
Boat-tailed Grackle 250
Bronzed Cowbird 87
Spot-breasted Oriole 1
Baltimore Oriole 9
House Finch 4
House Sparrow 111
Scaly-breasted Munia 32