ASWP Birding
Pittsburgh CBC 2002 Results
2002 Data Table (PDF, 45k)
The complete results of the 2002 Pittsburgh CBC, listed by species and count area.
Summary
By Jim Valimont. Pittsburgh, PA, 40 30'48" N, 79 58'50" W, center near junction of Anderson and Hahn Roads, ca. 1.33 miles SW of Glenshaw, as described in 1966; elevation 710' to 1370'. December 28, 2002, 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Cold and mostly clear in the morning, cold and cloudy in the afternoon with some flurries.Temperature 20 to 33 F. Winds 0-10 mph. Snow cover one to four inches. Ponds frozen, rivers open and small streams mostly open. 120 observers, 89 in 44 parties, 53 at feeders.Total party-hours: 190.5 (154.5 by foot, 36 by car), 103 at feeders, 11 owling. Total party-miles: 508 (140 on foot, 368 by car), 29 owling.
Total: 62 species, 17,302 individuals.
The day started out cold and mostly clear, and stayed cold with increasing clouds and some snow flurries toward the end of the day. The temperature climbed from 20 to 33F. 17,302 birds were counted, about a thousand less than our ten year average of 18,421. We found a total of 62 species, which is five below our average over the past ten years. Participation was about the same as last year. In the field, the birds were fairly easy to find, with birds usually occurring in large feeding flocks.
Noteworthy sightings:
- Our total of 985 Canada Geese was the third highest ever, apparently suffering from no shortage of bread handouts.
- 4 Common Mergansers were the best showing since 1977 for this species.
- 18 Cooper's Hawks ties the species record set in 1995.
- 85 Red-tailed Hawks represents a new record over the 82 sighted in 1996.
- Merlins have now been found in six consecutive years. One was found in Schenley Park and another in Shaler Township. This species seems to like open areas with a few tall trees, such as golf courses and cemetaries.
- Peregrine Falcons have now been found in seven of the last eight years. Only one bird was found this year, a brief sighting on the Cathedral of Learning in Oakland.
- 108 Wild Turkeys represent the second highest total ever recorded.
- 292 Ring-billed Gulls were very low compared to other recent counts.
- Another year and another new record for Red-bellied Woodpeckers (237), indicating that there is still room for growth of this species.
- 3,117 American Crows set a new record thanks to the count at an evening roost in east Pittsburgh. We probably double counted a lot of these birds.
- 235 Carolina Wrens represent the highest number since 1991, indicating a series of mild winters.
- Single Winter Wrens were found in Pittsburgh and Franklin Park.
- A Ruby-crowned Kinglet was found on the fringe of the count circle in Harmar Township.
- 21 Eastern Bluebirds represent the second highest total ever.
- Another year and another new record for Northern Mockingbird.
- Yellow-rumped Warblers were found both in O'Hara and Harmar Townships.
- 17 Field Sparrows represent the highest total since 1991.
- A Lincoln's Sparrow in North Park is the first time this species has been found since 1987.
- A single Swamp Sparrow was found in North Park.
- A single Purple Finch was found in Kilbuck Township.
- 430 House Finches show the continuing decline of this species. This is the lowest total since 1979, then only the third year that House Finches were found in our area. From personal experience, I know that conjunctivitis remains a problem in my yard.
- Our total of 62 species is the lowest total since 1965. I would submit that sprawl and habitat loss is directly responsible for this drop in species diversity.
Thanks again to all of the participants who braved the cold weather and special thanks to the count leaders for another job well done! Special thanks to Mike Fialkovich and Jack Solomon who organized and compiled the City of Pittsburgh portion of the bird count, which by itself is larger than most other Christmas Bird Counts.