Topeka Audubon Society - Christmas Bird Count

HOME

The annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a census of birds conducted across three continents. The all-volunteer effort, which is scheduled between mid-December and early January, takes a snapshot of bird populations to monitor their status and distribution across the Western Hemisphere.  It was started in 1900 by Frank Chapman, an officer in a fledgling organization called The Audubon Society, as an alternative to a holiday hunting tradition whose goal was to shoot the greatest number of birds.

The first known published Topeka Christmas Bird Count was done on December 22, 1919.  The count was conducted by two TAS members who recorded 31 species.  Since then, documented records of a Christmas Bird Count exist for Topeka for every year, except the years between 1923 through 1946. 

Over the count years, the Topeka CBC has recorded a grand total 141 species.

Topeka Christmas Bird Count summary and averages:

Species Name

10-year

Average

25-year Average

2008-83

25-year Average

1983-58

2008

2007

2006

Comments

 Greater White-fronted Goose

2

1

<1

-

20

-

 

 Snow Goose

406

611

254

12

519

2,500

 

 Snow Goose (blue form)

12

8

51

-

19

-

 

 Ross’s Goose

<1

<1

-

1

2

-

 

 Cackling Goose

14

6

-

48

78

15

 

 Canada Goose

10,068

4,586

195

16,818

17,191

6,465

 Rapid increase seen in population

 Trumpeter Swan

2

1

-

13

-

-

 

 Wood Duck

1

1

-

2

-

-

 

 Gadwall

123

80

5

28

29

29

 

 American Wigeon

2

1

2

-

4

2

 

 American Black Duck

<1

<1

1

-

-

-

 

 Mallard

2,115

1,394

1,084

8,339

2,098

1,844

 

 Cinnamon Teal

-

<1

-

-

-

-

 

 Blue-winged Teal

1

1

<1

-

-

-

 

 Northern Shoveler

10

12

<1

26

8

13

 

 Northern Pintail

1

1

2

-

2

-

 

 Green-winged Teal

21

9

1

-

2

25

 

 Canvasback

1

1

2

1

-

5

 

 Redhead

1

2

4

-

3

-

 

 Ring-necked Duck

21

34

2

19

19

56

 

 Greater Scaup

-

-

-

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1948 Count

 Lesser Scaup

12

13

3

11

9

65

 

 Long-tailed Duck

<1

<1

-

1

-

-

 

 Bufflehead

16

15

2

5

-

64

 

 Common Goldeneye

106

76

8

24

54

87

 

 Hooded Merganser 

19

9

2

22

30

24

 

 Common Merganser

9

27

89

35

3

8

 

 Red-breasted Merganser

-

<1

<1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1988 Count

 Common Loon

-

-

<1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1967 Count

 Ruddy Duck

3

2

-

4

-

2

 

 Ring-necked Pheasant

<1

3

<1

-

-

-

 

 Greater Prairie Chicken

-

-

3

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1982 Count

 Wild Turkey

62

28

<1

31

74

41

 

 Northern Bobwhite

12

62

74

7

4

6

 

 Pied-billed Grebe

8

5

1

5

-

23

 

 Western Grebe

-

<1

<1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1987 Count

 Eared Grebe

1

<1

-

-

-

-

 

 Horned Grebe

<1

<1

<1

-

-

-

 

 Double-crested Cormorant

<1

1

-

1

-

-

 

 American White Pelican

<1

<1

<1

-

-

-

 

 Great Blue Heron (Blue form)

8

8

1

5

4

23

 

 Green Heron

-

-

<1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1982 Count

 Turkey Vulture

<1

<1

<1

-

-

1

 

 Bald Eagle

8

8

1

10

7

12

 

 Northern Harrier

6

6

10

10

17

14

 

 Sharp-shinned Hawk

3

3

1

4

3

5

 

 Cooper's Hawk

3

2

1

3

8

1

 

 Northern Goshawk

-

-

<1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1967 Count

 Red-shouldered Hawk

<1

<1

<1

-

-

1

 

 Red-tailed Hawk

64

76

53

72

45

62

 

 Harlan’s Hawk

<1

<1

1

-

-

1

 

 Rough-legged Hawk

-

<1

3

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1992 Count

 Krider’s Hawk

-

-

<1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1974 Count

 American Kestrel

21

28

25

20

14

27

 

 Peregrine Falcon

<1

<1

<1

1

-

1

 

 Prairie Falcon

<1

<1

<1

-

-

1

 

 Merlin

<1

<1

<1

1

1

-

 

 American Coot

61

52

13

18

48

28

 

 Kildeer

3

2

5

-

-

3

 

 Wilson’s Snipe

<1

<1

<1

-

-

3

 

 American Woodcock

-

-

-

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1954 Count

 Bonaparte’s Gull

11

7

-

-

-

4

 

 Franklin's Gull

-

<1

<1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1990 Count

 Ring-billed Gull

362

239

29

32

60

317

 

 Herring Gull

<1

2

4

-

2

1

 

 gull (species unknown)

63

37

<1

-

4

98

 

 Rock Pigeon

319

459

605

577

139

449

 

 Eurasian Collared-Dove

12

5

-

77

21

10

 First appeared in the 2001 Count

 Mourning Dove

344

296

100

458

309

389

 

 Eastern Screech Owl

-

1

1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1995 Count

 Great Horned Owl

2

5

6

-

1

1

 

 Long-eared Owl

-

-

1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1980 Count

 Short-eared Owl

<1

<1

1

-

-

3

 

 Barred Owl

2

2

<1

1

2

-

 

 Snowy Owl

-

-

<1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1966 Count

 Belted Kingfisher

5

8

5

4

2

13

 

 Red-headed Woodpecker

5

9

13

4

-

26

 

 Red-bellied Woodpecker

58

68

40

51

39

90

 

 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

5

4

4

6

3

4

 

 Downy Woodpecker

64

78

42

50

74

77

 

 Hairy Woodpecker

6

12

13

2

2

5

 

 Northern (Red-shafted) Flicker

1

1

2

-

1

-

 

 Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker

45

52

35

45

22

67

 

 Pileated Woodpecker

<1

<1

-

1

-

-

 

 Eastern Phoebe

<1

-

-

1

-

-

 

 Eastern Wood Pewee

-

-

<1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1976 Count

 Loggerhead Shrike

-

2

8

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1997 Count

 Blue Jay

170

238

143

120

142

246

 

 American Crow

356

433

129

256

65

233

 

 Horned Lark

160

105

301

615

392

25

 

 Black-capped Chickadee

145

267

173

99

61

130

 

 Tufted Titmouse

58

76

48

26

55

61

 

 Red-breasted Nuthatch

8

9

4

1

17

-

 

 White-breasted Nuthatch

35

40

15

33

25

46

 

 Brown Creeper

18

15

11

11

11

20

 

 Carolina Wren

28

17

4

42

33

45

 

 Winter Wren

2

1

1

5

2

4

 

 Bewick's Wren

-

-

<1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1964 Count

 Marsh Wren

-

-

<1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1974 Count

 Golden-crowned Kinglet

17

13

7

23

8

17

 

 Ruby-crowned Kinglet

6

3

1

1

2

4

 

 Eastern Bluebird

116

96

14

157

34

128

 

 Hermit Thrush

1

1

<1

6

-

1

 

 Townsend’s Solitaire

-

<1

<1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1985 Count

 American Robin

2,484

1,355

68

5,351

50

3,644

 Rapid increase seen in population

 Gray Catbird

-

-

<1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1980 Count

 Northern Mockingbird

3

3

7

7

3

4

 

 Brown Thrasher

1

1

1

-

-

1

 

 European Starling

4,016

4,355

5,244

3,255

1,871

4,328

 

 Water Pipit

-

-

<1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1967 Count

 Cedar Waxwing

152

230

150

349

-

149

 

 Bohemian Waxwing

-

-

1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1972 Count

 Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler

16

7

<1

10

3

36

 

 Spotted Towhee

1

2

-

-

1

3

 

 Eastern Towhee

1

2

2

-

-

-

 

 American Tree Sparrow

158

215

493

384

303

53

 

 Vesper Sparrow

<1

<1

<1

-

-

-

 

 Field Sparrow

1

2

4

-

-

-

 

 Savannah Sparrow

-

-

1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1980 Count

 Lark Sparrow

<1

<1

-

-

1

-

 

 Fox Sparrow

2

1

<1

2

2

6

 

 Song Sparrow

31

27

31

37

43

57

 

 Lincoln’s Sparrow

1

1

1

-

-

4

 

 Swamp Sparrow

1

<1

1

2

3

-

 

 White-throated Sparrow

82

42

9

133

58

155

 

 Harris's Sparrow

104

117

127

120

176

81

 

 White-crowned Sparrow

8

7

4

46

26

2

 

 Dark-eyed (Oregon) Junco

3

8

11

1

6

6

 

 Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco

832

798

658

1,662

1,322

859

 

 Lapland Longspur

23

63

160

80

2

-

 

 Smith's Longspur

-

-

<1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1968 Count

 Northern Cardinal

193

277

222

341

214

195

 

 Red-winged Blackbird

696

357

45

378

138

3,138

 

 Eastern Meadowlark

115

156

259

80

97

172

 

 Western Meadowlark

2

4

26

21

-

-

 

 Rusty Blackbird

13

6

4

7

-

-

 

 Brewer’s Blackbird

2

7

7

1

-

-

 

 Brown-headed Cowbird

1

6

33

-

-

-

 

 Common Grackle

17

38

30

-

-

40

 

 Great-tailed Grackle

14

6

-

-

-

-

 First appeared in the 1994 Count

 Pine Grosbeak

-

<1

<1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1984 Count

 Evening Grosbeak

-

-

<1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1975 Count

 Purple Finch

7

6

9

21

21

9

 

 House Finch

194

194

-

128

120

85

 First appeared in the 1989 Count

 Red Crossbill

-

-

3

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1969 Count

 Pine Siskin

4

19

36

12

3

-

 

 Lesser Goldfinch

-

-

<1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1981 Count

 American Goldfinch

177

228

191

317

228

161

 

 House Sparrow

281

687

1,595

352

249

322

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Total Species

79

75

64

87

78

89

 

 Total Individual Birds

25,292

19,001

9,803

41,389

26,784

27,483

 

 TAS Volunteer Participants

27

31

27

26

31

29

 

 

 

A very special THANK YOU to all Topeka CBC volunteers!