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News from the Keweenaw Peninsula Posted January 7, 2004  Text © 2004 Nancy Auer. Photos © 2003 Joseph Kaplan and © Michael J. Shupe, as indicated.. Reprinted with permission.

Local birders record 45 species during Christmas Bird Count

By Nancy Auer, Houghton County CBC compiler

HOUGHTON -- On a cool, overcast December 20, 2003, a group of 28 experienced birders spread out across a 15-mile-diameter circle in Houghton County and counted birds. This was part of the annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC), an event sponsored by the National Audubon Society and the local Copper Country Audubon Club. The birders counted 2549 individual birds of 45 species. Although most of the folks limited their observation time to daylight hours, some started in the early morning to check for owls. 

Photographer Michael J. Shupe of Ahmeek captured this Chickadee amid fall colors. During the Christmas Bird Count, 529 Black-capped Chickadees were counted in Houghton County. (Photo by Michael J. Shupe, © 2003. Reprinted with permission.)

This year some of the unusual birds identified on count day included 1 Barred Owl, 2 Great Horned Owls, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 2 Gray Jays, 6 Northern Shrikes, 1 Golden-Crowned Kinglet, 1 Bohemia Waxwing, 2 Northern Cardinals, 1 Snow Bunting, 14 American Robins and 1 Indigo Bunting. In the 27-year count history for our area robins have only been seen on seven other occasions and then only as single individuals. The Indigo Bunting is a typical summer resident of our area, and this individual has been staying at Joe Kaplan's feeder in Hancock.

Joe Kaplan of Hancock recorded this immature male Indigo Bunting during the Houghton County Christmas Bird Count (CBC). Indigo Buntings typically migrate to the tropics, but a few individuals winter regularly Florida and Texas. Kaplan received a "most unusual" bird award for this Indigo Bunting, which is only the third to be recorded on a Michigan CBC and one of less than 10 that have been recorded on CBCs in the entire Great Lakes Region. (Photo by Joseph Kaplan, © 2003. Reprinted with permission.)

Kaplan received one of Copper Country Audubon Club's two "most unusual" bird awards this year for the Indigo Bunting still visiting his feeder in Hancock. A second "most unusual" bird award was split between Ken Steiner and Peter Hurley for their sightings of individual Red-bellied Woodpeckers -- one in Ripley and one in Chassell.

The club also awarded prizes for the most species seen by an individual or small group working a part of a count area. The "most species" award was split between Tom and Nancy Auer, who counted 24 species in the lower half of section A (below Rabbit Bay), and nine other birders, led by Keren Tischler, who counted 24 species in section B (Sturgeon River sloughs area).

We want to again thank the Wercinskis of Rabbit Bay, who annually host some cold section-A birders each year and who saw a Ruffed Grouse and Brown Creeper during count week as well. The Audubon Club  awarded them a 50-pound bag of sunflower seed for their continued support and interest each year.

Photographer Michael J. Shupe of Ahmeek contributed this photo of a Brown Creeper. During count week the Wercinskis of Rabbit Bay observed one of these birds.  (Photo by Michael J. Shupe, © 2004. Reprinted with permission.)

The Copper Country Audubon Club also expresses appreciation to Erickson's Feed and Seed for the 10% discount on the gifts and seed bought in their store in Houghton.

Other species included in this year's count: 4 Canada Geese, 5 Mallards, 79 Common Goldeneye, 1 Bufflehead, 1 Common Merganser, 3 Red-breasted Mergansers, 4 Bald Eagles, 1 Rough-legged Hawk, 8 Ruffed Grouse, 11 Herring Gulls, 141 Rock Doves, 63 Morning Doves, 31 Downy Woodpeckers, 24 Hairy Woodpeckers, 11 Pileated Woodpeckers, 111 Blue Jays, 163 American Crows, 64 Common Ravens, 529 Black-capped Chickadees, 39 Red- breasted and 30 White-breasted Nuthatches, 15 Cedar Waxwings, 543 Starlings, 1 American Tree Sparrow, 6 Dark-eyed Juncos, 136 Pine Grosbeaks, 4 Purple Finches, 10 House Finches, 18 White-winged Crossbills, 45 Redpolls, 18 Pine Siskins, 379 American Goldfinches, and 17 Evening Grosbeaks.

Michael Shupe's photo of this Dark-eyed Junco appeared in Keweenaw Now for our Dec. 18, 2003, story about the Christmas Bird Count. Did you guess its name? Local birders counted 6 Dark-eyed Juncos in Houghton County on Dec. 20. (Photo by Michael J. Shupe, © 2001. Reprinted with permission.)

Editor's Notes: Guest author Nancy Auer is the compiler for the December 2003 count and reports the data to the National Audubon Society. Data for our area and other sites across the nation can be viewed at the Audubon Christmas Bird Count Web site.

Photographer Michael J. Shupe contributed his photos of birds for this article. Art prints of Shupe's photos are available at his gallery, The Studio, in downtown Houghton. Shupe, who operates the Streetcar Station and Gallery in Ahmeek (now closed for the winter), recently opened The Studio Gallery in the former Wilcox Camera Store location on Shelden Avenue in Houghton. He plans to operate both the Ahmeek and the Houghton galleries during the summer season. In addition to his professional photography work, Michael J. Shupe has conducted photography seminars at Finlandia University (formerly Suomi College).

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