Christmas Bird Count 2011

Dec 21, 2011 by Stephanie

At the Christmas Bird Count in Glen Providence Park on Saturday, we saw 108 individual birds of 16 species!  For comparison, there have been 24 species spotted so far this month, and 70 documented total.  While it was our first year, it was the 112th year for the CBC– the world’s longest-running Citizen Science survey! Birds were our primary mission, but when they were quiet, we were able to discover a few other things in the park, from fungi to an old drinking well…

We started at the northern edge of the park by Broomall’s Lake, which we included in our bird count area.  It was there we saw the Great Blue Heron, Belted Kingfisher, and over two dozen Mallards!  Then it was off to the Shingle Mill Trail, which usually has the best birdwatching in the park.  Some of the first birds we saw were a large roost of Mourning Doves, and a nearby roost of Turkey Vultures. I was able to get so close to the vultures, I could hear their wings as they moved- they are impressive creatures, and they certainly weren’t intimidated by me.  For the rest of our sightings, see our official list below!

I had read about a drinking well with a hand pump that had been installed in the park in 1936, but hadn’t found it.  Now with the foliage down, it practically jumped out at us near the pond (thank you Marcia)!  And just the other week, I found the old spring which was the other source of drinking water for the park- more on that soon!  Not far from the pump we found an old bench that apparently met its demise when a tree fell on it.  It matches the description of the park’s original 1936 benches, with concrete ends.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have more benches again?

Then there was a variety of fungi, and a Holly sapling… there is just always something new (or old) to discover in the park!

Click on any photo below for a closer look, or scroll through the photos for a virtual tour.  As the birds and lighting were not at their most cooperative on Saturday, for more bird photos, visit our facebook Wildlife Album.

Here is our official Christmas Bird Count list for Saturday, December 17:

9 Canada Geese
26 Mallards
1 Great Blue Heron
15 Turkey Vultures
24 Mourning Doves
1 Belted Kingfisher
3 Red-bellied Woodpeckers
5 Hairy Woodpeckers
8 American Crows
6 Carolina Chickadees
1 Tufted Titmouse
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 Song Sparrow
3 Dark-eyed Juncos
2 Northern Cardinals
1 House Finch
+ 1 unidentified hawk