31 December 1995-- Count Summary
(Count History: January
1978 - December 1995)
Species reported Count Day: 119
Total individual birds reported Count Day: 36,227
Participants: 55 (37 in the field + 18 at feeders/YARD)Best Birds: Common Nighthawk and Harris’ Hawk
31 December 1995: The 19th annual Buffalo Bayou CBC—the real Houston CBC (after all it’s the only CBC within Houston)—missed equaling its all-time high species count by one. Increasing familiarity with the count circle, mainly due to the dedication of our area leaders, is resulting in counts consistently between 100 and 120 species. Fog made for an especially quiet morning in several areas, but the species count accumulated very well. The Harris’ Hawk at Eldrige and Renn Road was new to the count (as was an exotic, Blue-crowned Parakeet). Our White-winged Dove count reached 147, reflecting an increasing trend of this species. Feeder watchers helped compile an impressive 18 Rufous Hummingbirds plus a female Northern (Bullock’s) Oriole, back at the same feeder for the ninth straight year. Common Nighthawk was hawking at dusk over the trees at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, as it has been seen three out the past four years; but this year there were three of them! Other species of note, especially considering that this count is mostly within urbanized Houston, were: Anhinga (1), Ross’ Goose (3) , Crested Caracara (3), Sandhill Crane (19), Common Ground Dove (6), Red-breasted Nuthatch (6), Brown Creeper (5), Bewick’s Wren (1), Winter Wren (2), Wood Thrush (1), Rufous-sided Towhee (2), Harris’ Sparrow (6), Dark-eyed Junco (2), and Rusty Blackbird (42). Our worst miss: Barn Owl—if anyone knows of Barn Owls in west Houston, please let us know. Bob Honig & Doug Williams
(Buffalo Bayou Christmas Bird Count web pages are hosted by the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center)