By Ilana DeBare
What a glorious day for a count! It started out cool and windy, especially for the teams by the ocean, but by midday the sun was strong and hats came off.
And best of all… we set a new record for the San Francisco Christmas Bird Count.
Eighteen teams counted a preliminary total of 179 species — breaking the prior SF CBC record of 177 species and surpassing this year’s Oakland CBC total of 177. (Not that San Franciscans are competitive, of course — not in the slightest.)
“It was a remarkable day. I’m anxious to see the total numbers we ended up with,” said CBC co-compiler Dan Murphy, who together with co-compiler Alan Hopkins will now collect and tally final numbers.
Some preliminary findings from the count, as reported at the festive CBC dinner at the Log Cabin in the Presidio:
- The only remaining California Quail found in the 15-mile-wide San Francisco count circle were at the Pacifica archery range.
- Two Clapper Rails were found at Heron’s Head Park.
- The team covering eastern Golden Gate Park set a new record of 70 species in its territory and had a “seven warbler day.”
- The Sunset team counted 1,900 Red-throated Loons along the beach!
- The Lake Merced team counted 40 rarities from six species that are not usually found in San Francisco, including Tree Swallows, White-throated Swifts, Great-tailed Grackles and a Tropical Kingbird.
- The McLaren Park team – one of the teams with a particular challenge since their territory was landlocked, without water birds – found 55 species including four woodpecker species.
- The Presidio team encountered some 3,000 gulls at a massive herring run at the end of the day.
- The team with the highest count for the day was the Candlestick area team with a whopping 113 species, edging out the Presidio which had 104.
Click here to see more photos of the count (both birds and birders) and the dinner afterwards on our Facebook page.
Thanks to the Presidio Trust for co-sponsoring the San Francisco count! If you couldn’t make it to this year’s count, please join us for our next one in December 2013.
