Great Backyard Bird Count

2011 Kane County Results

This year's count, the 14th annual, was co-sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society and took place on the weekend of February 18th - 22nd, a week later than usual. Birders throughout the country were asked to submit checklists of all the birds they counted over the weekend period. Kane County participants this year submitted 171 checklists  (as compared to 228 last year). The drop in checklist numbers resulted in a nearly 50% decline in the number of birds reported from more than 20,000 last year to 10,821 this year. The number of species seen also decreased, but not so dramatically, from 65 to 62. The weekend's weather may have played a factor in the disappointing numbers.

More than one-third of the birds counted were the Canada Goose, the "most popular" of the birds seen. The next five most numerous birds were tightly bunched. The numbers drop off from there.

  1. Canada Goose - 3,882
  2. European Starling - 904
  3. House Sparrow - 593
  4. Dark-eyed Junco - 577
  5. Mallard - 480
  6. Black-capped Chickadee - 462

The St. Charles community submitted the most checklists, 37. Batavia reported the best variety (43 species) and counted the most birds (3,448).

A few words of caution in interpreting this data: This bird count differs significantly from the Spring Bird Count and the Christmas Bird Count. This count covers four days, the others only one. In this count, birders are encouraged to count where ever they want, for as long as they want, and as often as they want. In the Spring and Christmas counts, assigned observers count a prescribed territory only once. This count encourages casual birders to participate. And the methodologies differ: Spring and Christmas birders count all the birds they see; in this count, participants are to record not bird numbers over time but only the highest number of any species they see at any one time.

For more information about the Great Backyard Bird Count, please visit their website.

(The 2008 Kane County GBBC results are available here. 2009 results here, and 2010 results here.)

 

KANE
COUNTY
TOTALS

   A
L
G
O
N
Q
U
I
N		 A
U
R
O
R
A		 B
A
R
T
L
E
T
T		 B
A
T
A
V
I
A

B
I
G

R
O
C
K

C
'
V
I
L
L
E

D
U
N
D
E
E

E
L
B
U
R
N

 E
L
G
I
N

G
E
N
E
V
A

G
I
L
B
E
R
T
S

H
A
M
P
S
H
I
R
E

 H
U
N
T
L
E
Y		 L
I
L
Y

L
A
K
E

 

 M
A
P
L
E

P
A
R
K		 M
O
N
T
G
O
M
E
R
Y

N

A
U
R
O
R
A

 S
T

C
H
A
R
L
E
S

S
O

E
L
G
I
N

 W
A
Y
N
E

Checklists Submitted

171

 9

19

 4 26

1

 9

2

2

 21

6

2

1

 3 1 4 11 7 37

2

 4

Species Counted

62

 20

33

 22 43

15

 35

18

14

 38

16

12

3

 7 6 11 20 24 39

9

 21

Birds Counted

10,821

150

1,542

 146 3,448

60

 675

88

59

 2,082

173

94

8

 21 17 212 187 257 1,225

30

 347

                       
Canada Goose 3,882   31 670 19 1,347   257 11   1,161 32           35 28 254   37
Wood Duck 1         1                                
Mallard 480   2 114 7 225   12 6   6             3 2 103    
Redhead 40         36                           4    
Ring-necked Duck 119         119                                
Lesser Scaup 4                                     4    
Common Goldeneye 119         80                           39    
Hooded Merganser 20         15                           5    
Common Merganser 369     11   328   8                       22    
Ring-necked Pheasant 6                               6          
Great Blue Heron 11     3   6                       1     1  
Turkey Vulture 8     3                               5    
Bald Eagle 10   6     1   2     1                      
Sharp-shinned Hawk 3                   3                      
Cooper's Hawk 18     4 1 3   1   1 3 1             1 1   2
Northern Goshawk 1                   1                      
Red-tailed Hawk 31   1 6 1 8   4 1   2             1   5 1 1
American Kestrel 3     1   1         1                      
Sandhill Crane 15                     15                    
Ring-billed Gull 22     3   12                           7    
Herring Gull 133   2 16   74         3             6   32    
Rock Pigeon 60     35   2   4                       15    
Mourning Dove 298   2 46 9 20 2 22 3   33 7 2       33 14 22 73 3 7
Great Horned Owl 10         2         8                      
Belted Kingfisher 4         1         2                 1    
Red-headed Woodpecker 5       2     2     1                      
Red-bellied Woodpecker 53   3 5 1 6 1 4 2 1 10 1 2     2     5 6 3 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1         1                                
Downy Woodpecker 157   4 6 4 24 2 13 2 4 28 2 3   1 4   5 15 32   8
Hairy Woodpecker 41   1 1 3 5   3 1 1 1   1         3 3 17   1
Northern Flicker 10             4     2 2       1     1      
Blue Jay 51     3 4 3   3 4   13 4   2       1 3 7 1 3
American Crow 133   1 10 5 11   10   2 86           2   1 5    
Horned Lark 3         3                                
Black-capped Chickadee 462   7 16 13 55 5 27 10 5 160 4 5   2 4 8 20 25 72   24
Tufted Titmouse 5           1 3     1                      
Red-breasted Nuthatch 32       1 3 1 2     8         1       10 6  
White-breasted Nuthatch 102   3 2 4 5 2 8 2 5 27   2     5   6 6 24   1
Brown Creeper 13         4   1     8                      
Carolina Wren 2             1     1                      
Golden-crowned Kinglet 2         2                                
American Robin 317   1 66 13 146   8 1   6 41           6 12 7   10
European Starling 904     196   533 2 56       39           8 5 55   9
Cedar Waxwing 14     6   3                       5        
American Tree Sparrow 238   12 6   14 3 37   8 32   6   3   48 22 6 15   26
Fox Sparrow 4             3                     1      
Song Sparrow 48     31       3     3     4         2 4   1
Swamp Sparrow 18       10 8                                
White-throated Sparrow 8             2 4                     1   1
White-crowned Sparrow 10                                     10    
Dark-eyed Junco 577   10 58 2 27 12 40 6 10 198 6 11   2   31 24 28 81 11 20
Northern Cardinal 363   39 20 10 25 2 15 18 5 57 15 15 2     9 8 15 69 1 38
Red-winged Blackbird 184     55   3   3     5           8     4   106
Rusty Blackbird 2   2                                      
Common Grackle 18     4   4   2                     2 6    
Brown-headed Cowbird 5             1 2               1     1    
Purple Finch 38     2 2         2 14       8       3 7    
House Finch 381   2 52 5 68 3 35 9 9 38 2 16       44 15 15 39 3 26
Common Redpoll 4                   4                      
Pine Siskin 59     18     5     1                   35    
American Goldfinch 297   17 11 16 27 12 11 1 5 52 1 15   2     3 9 97   18
House Sparrow 593   4 62 14 187 7 68 5   98 1 16   3   22 1 47 51   7
                                             
TOTALS 10,821   150 1,542 146 3,448 60 675 88 59 2,082 173 94 8 21 17 212 187 257 1,225 30 347
Species Count 62   20

33

 22 43 15 35 18 14 38 16 12 3 7 6 11 20 24 39 9 21