Mattabeseck Audubon Society

Our Mission: The Mattabeseck Audubon Society, a chapter of the National Audubon Society, is committed to environmental leadership and education for the benefit of the community and the earth's biodiversity.

deKoven House, 27 Washington Street, Middletown, Connecticut 06457

REPORT: The 50th Annual MAS Salmon River Christmas Bird Count, December 15, 2024

On behalf of the entire Mattabeseck Audubon Society’s Board I would like to thank everyone who participated in the 50th Annual Salmon River Bird Count on Sunday, December 15th. The 11 teams in the field enjoyed a beautiful day with no precipitation and minimal winds. It was chilly in the morning with a low of 10 degrees and a high temperature of 36 degrees in the afternoon. Doreen Jezek (co-compiler) and I met a few times to complete our compiling duties. We submitted our final data to National Audubon Society on January 13th. We had a total of 42 participants (12 watching their feeders at home). One must assume that the weather and the number of participants plays a significant role in the number of birds and species that are seen. We had the 3rd highest number of species in the history of our count with 84 species on count day and 2 added during count week (American Pipit and Chipping Sparrow sent in by Tom Baptist). The highest species count ever was in 1990 (89 on count day and 2 during count week), followed by 2001 (88 on count day and 2 during count week). We had 4 Red-headed Woodpecker, which to my surprise wasn’t the highest ever. That occurred in 1994 with 5 individuals seen. This year we had the highest ever counts of Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (38), Pileated Woodpecker (21), Common Raven (56), Winter Wren (10), Savannah Sparrow (23), Common Grackle (683), Barred Owl (8) and Dark-eyed Junco (1515).

There is always great anticipation in the days leading up to count day. What team is going to come up with the bird of the day, the greatest number of species, or have that unique interaction with wildlife? Dave Rathbun and Dave Carey (Team 1) added the first ever Snowy Owl near Goodspeed Opera House! My team (7, which included Steve Broker, Roy Dellinger, Doreen Jezek, Dan & Trudy Rottino) had the highest number of species of all the teams with 55 species seen. Debbie Evans, Sydney Caisse, and Tom Baptist (Team 11) found a Long-eared Owl in Moodus by recognizing that a stand of white pines would be a great spot for this species. Upon closer inspection, they noticed whitewash on the tree trunks and owl pellets on the ground. Within moments the owl flew out, circled the trees and re-perched in the same pines. Now that’s a great and unique experience with this elusive species! There have only been 5 Long-eared Owls in the history of the Salmon River Count. This was the first time one was seen since 2012.

Looking to the future, the longevity of this count depends on every one of us sharing our enthusiasm for birding with others, especially younger generations. MAS Board will be holding a retreat at Sacred Heart on the Lake, in Higganum, on Saturday, March 1st. One of the main focuses of that meeting will be to plan for the future of our chapter. How can we ensure future generations will carry the baton when we are no longer able? Although this year’s Christmas Count was a great success, its sustainability is tenuous. We must ensure our mission of “environmental leadership and education for the benefit of the community and the earth’s biodiversity” long outlives our current members. This is no small task. It takes a village!

The Salmon River Count territory includes a 15-mile diameter circle centered on the Old Comstock Bridge on the Salmon River in Colchester (see Count Circle map). The circle includes parts of Cobalt, Colchester, East Haddam, East Hampton, Haddam, Marlborough and Moodus. You do not have to be an expert birder to participate. All are welcome!

DOWNLOADS: various count forms (please ignore any date or year in the forms, they don't change):