count in a decade. Eastern Screech-Owls had their second best count in 20 years—kudos to Rathbun for locating 19. Northern Saw-whet Owls had their best year ever. Belted Kingfishers had their best count in five seasons. After an excep- tional count last year, Red-headed Woodpecker numbers fell well below their 10-year average. Pileated Woodpeckers set a new high. Northern Shrikes were at near record numbers. Probably due to a lack of snow cover, Horned Larks were hard to find. Red- Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) female, Kansas City, Missouri. Photo/Mike Stoakes breasted Nuthatches were uncommon also. Brown Creepers and Winter Wrens A Black-legged Kittiwake at Maryville There were no reports of Greater Prairie- were in very good numbers. Ruby- and a Common Ground-Dove at Chicken, Northern Goshawk, Greater crowned Kinglets were on four counts. Weldon Spring represent first Missouri Roadrunner, or Snow Bunting. Bald It was an average year for thrushes. CBC records. Several other species were Eagles (878) and Eastern Bluebirds (2533) Mockingbirds were at Green Island and only observed on only one count: Long- were seen on all 24 counts. Winter erratic Burlington. Brown Thrashers were at tailed Duck (2, Kansas City), Eared passerines occurred in low numbers. The Dallas County and Burlington. No cat- Grebe (1, Horton-Four Rivers), Black- only report of Red-breasted Nuthatch birds were found. crowned Night-Heron (1, Columbia), was five at Knob Noster. A total of 910 Spotted Towhees were at Sioux City, Prairie Falcon (1, Horton-Four Rivers), Lapland Longspurs were reported from DeSoto N.W.R., and Shenandoah. Virginia Rail (1, Columbia), Least eight counts and 39 Pine Siskins on three Eastern Towhees were at Decorah and Sandpiper (1, Columbia), Franklin’s counts. Introduced Trumpeter Swans Davenport. American Tree Sparrows Gull (1, Mingo), Fish Crow (1, Mingo), occurred on six counts (500 birds) and were abundant. Savannah Sparrows were Tree Swallow (1, Mingo), Sedge Wren Eurasian Collared-Doves occurred on at record numbers. Lapland Longspurs (1, Cole Camp Prairies), Pine Warblers 15 counts (153 birds). were below average, while Snow (1, Mingo), Vesper Sparrow (1, Jefferson Six counts recorded 90 or more Buntings were their lowest in a decade. City), Rose-breasted Grosbeak (1, species, with 104 at Columbia. A record Red-winged Blackbirds rebounded from Grand River), and Baltimore Oriole (1, 463 observers were in the field, with 22 a 20-year low to their best in five. No Columbia). watching feeders. Brewer’s Blackbirds were reported. Pine High numbers of birds include 24300 Siskin and American Goldfinch Greater White-fronted Goose (11 Count circles in numbers were up slightly. A lone counts), 928,000 Snow Geese (12 MISSOURI Common Redpoll was at Davenport. counts), 446 American White Pelican Eurasian Tree Sparrows were again at (423 at Confluence), 234 Red-shoul- record numbers and continue their dered Hawks (20 counts), 55 Rough- expansion. New to the Cedar Rapids legged Hawks (11 counts), seven count, 29 were found there this season. Sandhill Cranes (2 counts), four Snowy Owls (2 counts), 523 American Pipits (4 MISSOURI counts), 800 Savannah Sparrows (18 Randy L. Korotev counts), 176 Western Meadowlarks (8 800 Oakbrook Lane counts), and 3.5 million Common Saint Louis, MO 63132-4807 Grackles (Columbia). Red-tail and [email protected] kestrel numbers were typical. Only 11 Missouri recorded 24 CBCs this Loggerhead and three Northern Shrikes season, down three from recent years. were reported. Species occurring in sub- The average temperature was 40 degrees stantially lower-than usual numbers Fahrenheit (range: 22 to 60) and there include Northern Bobwhite, Northern was no snow anywhere. In total, 152 Flicker, Blue Jay, Horned Lark, Song species were observed. Sparrow, and White-throated Sparrow. THE 112TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AMERICAN BIRDS 81 ARKANSAS of 113 and 73, respectively. Bayou (Fayetteville); Red-necked Grebe, Leif Anderson DeView had the most new or unusual “Krider’s” Red-tailed Hawk, Golden P.O. Box 195 species (11) and Holla Bend N.W.R. Eagle, and “Red-shafted” Flicker (Holla Hector, AR 72843 and Wapanocca tied with the most new Bend N.W.R.); Forster’s Tern [email protected] high counts (9). The numbers for the (Jonesboro); Western Grebe, American The 112th CBC in Arkansas was a following bird highlights are normalized Bittern, Red-cockaded Woodpecker and nice year for counting—only 4 percent by party hours. In broad groups, geese White-eyed Vireo (Lake Georgia Pacific- of the counts had winds exceeding 15 were 685 percent above average (because Felsenthal N.W.R.); Mute Swan and miles per hour, 13 percent had light of Snow Geese) and semi-hardy water- Rufous Hummingbird (Little Rock) rain, and 13 percent had partly frozen birds 189 percent. Blackbirds were -98 Peregrine Falcon and “Oregon” Junco water. Temperatures ranged from the percent below average (third year in a (Lonoke); Red-breasted Merganser and 20s to 70s. Two major local influences row) and frugivores were -97 percent Sora (Pine Bluff); and Black-crowned were extreme drought on 9 percent of below average. Night-Heron, White Ibis, and Great- the counts and extreme flooding on 9 Of note this season for individual tailed Grackle (Texarkana). And the percent of the counts. The generally species, no regularly occurring species bird-of-the-year was the first Arkansas pleasant conditions resulted in the were “missed.” Setting new 59-year CBC record of an adult Blue Grosbeak number of species, miles, and hours highs were Greater White-fronted at Wapanocca N.W.R. remaining near normal, with parties and Goose, Snow Goose, Gadwall, Northern And it can never be said frequently observers setting 59-year highs. Number Shoveler, Pied-billed Grebe, Killdeer, enough—all the compilers and volun- of individuals (878,024) was 94 percent Spotted Sandpiper, Eurasian Collared- teers deserve a big “thank you” for your below average because of reduced black- Dove, and Eastern Phoebe. Other highs hard work! bird numbers. included Gadwall (708 percent), All told, 23 counts were submitted; Northern Shoveler (863 percent), LOUISIANA 11 counts had more than 90 species, Northern Pintail (611 percent), Ring- Erik I. Johnson including Holla Bend N.W.R. with the necked Duck (502 percent), Pied-billed National Audubon Society species high of 119. Mississippi River Grebe (345 percent), Killdeer (296 6160 Perkins Road, Suite 130 State Park was run for the first year, sam- percent), Spotted Sandpiper (426 Baton Rouge, LA 70808 pling the unique habitat of Crowley’s percent), Eurasian Collared-Dove (115 [email protected] Ridge. Two counts, Bayou DeView and percent), and Eastern Phoebe (230 During the 112th CBC, 409 Mountain Home, set new species highs percent). observers and 57 feederwatchers spent Meanwhile, 59-year lows were set by 1741 party hours covering 24 counts in Count circles in Northern Bobwhite. Other lows Louisiana. A total of 262 species and an ARKANSAS included Mallard (-58 percent), Wild additional 2 count week species were Turkey (-66 percent), Northern found—the largest list since before the Bobwhite (-95 percent), Loggerhead 2005 hurricanes (“Katrina” and “Rita”) Shrike (-76 percent), Bewick’s Wren (- despite worsening recent droughts. This 74 percent), American Robin (-92 winter will be forever remembered as the percent), European Starling (-97 winter of the Green-tailed Towhee; percent), Harris’s Sparrow (-87 percent), across nine counts 15 individuals were Red-winged Blackbird (-99 percent), found, which is not bad considering Rusty Blackbird (-98 percent), there have been fewer than 10 records Common Grackle (-99 percent), ever for the Bayou State. Brown-headed Cowbird (-97 percent), The Sabine count again tallied the Purple Finch (-87 percent), Pine Siskin largest species count in the state with (-91 percent), and House Sparrow (-77 171 species and is still climbing toward percent). pre-Hurricane Rita/Ike levels. A new Species found only on one count count this year, White Lake, pulled in a included Long-tailed Duck respectable 158 species and turned up (Arkadelphia); American Black Duck, Louisiana’s first Prairie Falcon. Solitary, Semipalmated, Western and Lacassine N.W.R.-Thornwell had the Stilt sandpipers, and Dunlin (Bayou highest inland count with 162 species, DeView); Cackling Goose and White- while Baton Rouge and Crowley tied for winged Scoter (Conway); Inca Dove the highest non-tidewater counts with 82 AMERICAN BIRDS 145 species each. Around Lake participants entertained included a NORTH DAKOTA/SOUTH DAKOTA/ Pontchartrain, Reserve with 144 species Parasitic Jaeger, three Swainson’s NEBRASKA/KANSAS/OKLAHOMA just topped New Orleans with 142. In Hawks, two Burrowing Owls, and Sebastian T. Patti north Louisiana, Natchitoches with 128 three Western Tanagers. Six Say’s 552 W. Belden Avenue species upped Bossier-Caddo-Bienville Phoebes adds to only 11 total previous Chicago, ILLINOIS 60614-3354 with 127 species. records, nine of these since 2000, sug- [email protected] Several raptors had abundances at least gesting a pattern of increasing vagrancy The winter of 2011–2012 will cer- 1.5 times more than the recent 10-year to Louisiana. Vermilion Flycatchers tainly go down in the weather annals as average: Northern Harrier, Sharp- were also well represented with 30 indi- one of the mildest on record; in fact, the shinned Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, and viduals found, just shy of the previous fall was extremely mild as well. The American Kestrel. Loggerhead Shrike, a high count of 31 in 2002. Only 13 moderate temperatures in the central species that has declined by 66 percent warbler species were found this winter, plains states were accompanied by little since 1992, had its best showing in 10 but included a Black-throated Gray or no snow or rain. Unfortunately, years. It was also a banner winter year for Warbler at Sweet Lake-Cameron throughout much of the region, this lack some winter hummingbirds like Rufous Prairie N.W.R.