Monday, January 01, 2024

2023 Bird Feeder Birds Summary

Frequency Trends Over the Past 11 Years of Records

·        The biggest drop off is for American Tree Sparrows.  Probably the lack of cold, snowy winters.

·        Mourning Dove is the second biggest drop off.  Maybe my place is too busy or dangerous for modo’s.

·        Common Grackle is another mystery.  They are the third biggest drop off.  I see them around the neighborhood, but they hardly ever come here.

·        Carolina Wren has the biggest increase in frequency.  I think they are very happy with the brush pile and the thicket under the spruce tree.

·        White-breasted Nuthatch is the second biggest increase in frequency.  Maybe as trees are maturing, they are liking things better?

·        Song Sparrow is the third biggest increase in frequency.  They love the prairie plantings, and often prefer the prairie seeds over the bird feeder. 

·        The top five in frequency, with all of these species showing up over 90% of the months, are no big surprises.  In descending order, House Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Carolina Chickadee, House Finch, and Downy Woodpecker. 

·        The order of the second five species, with all of these species showing up over 70% of the months, is somewhat surprising.  In descending order, American Goldfinch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse, American Robin, and European Starling.  I think of American Goldfinch is fairly seasonal at my feeder. 

2023 Summary

·        45 bird species were observed at the feeder this year, marking a new high.  Last year the number was 43.

·        An average of 18.42 bird species were observed each month.  This is the second highest number, with last year setting the record at 19.00 average bird species per month.

New species observed at my feeder or in the feeder crab apple tree were, Blackburnian Warbler, Hermit Thrush, Indigo Bunting, Northern Parula, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. 

Tuesday, January 03, 2023

2022 Bird Feeder Summary

 

1.      Introduction

a.      The conclusion of 2022 marks a decade of recording the monthly visitors to the bird feeders in and under the crab apple tree behind 1299 S Daisy Lane, New Palestine, Indiana.  A total of 67 different bird species have been recorded in the last decade. 

2.      Methods

a.      The feeder setup

                                                    i.     Black oil sunflower seed feeder – hangs from the crab apple

                                                   ii.     Suet feeder – hangs from the crab apple

                                                  iii.     Field corn – scattered on the ground under the tree in the fall/winter

                                                  iv.     Millet mix – scattered on the ground under the tree in the winter

                                                   v.     Hummingbird feeder – from mid-April to mid-October

b.      Record Area

                                                    i.     Any bird in the crab apple can be counted

                                                   ii.     Any bird under the crab apple can be counted

                                                  iii.     Any bird on the porch or in the bushes by the porch

                                                  iv.     The airspace included under and between the porch and the crab apple

c.      What is recorded

                                                    i.     All species are marked as present for a month if they are observed in the record area. 

                                                   ii.     Individual numbers are not recorded

                                                  iii.     Sex or Age are recorded when noted, but are not used in any analysis

d.      Calculations

                                                    i.     Total Species per Average Species – this metric is an attempt to quantify consistency for a given time period.  In a situation where the total species equaled the average species would yield the maximum consistency value of 1.  As this number increases, it indicates less consistency, or more volatility. 

3.      Results

a.      2022

                                                    i.     Number of species visiting the feeder = 43 (Top most)

                                                   ii.     Average species per month = 19.00 (Top most)

                                                  iii.     Ranks as the 7th (out of 10) most consistent year = 2.26 tot sp/ave sp

                                                  iv.     New Species for 2022

1.      Hairy Woodpecker

2.      Palm Warbler

3.      Swainson’s Thrush


b.      The decade

                                                    i.     Number of species = 67

                                                   ii.     Average species per month =36.1

                                                  iii.     Monthly trends

1.      January

a.      Ranks as the 9th highest month in total species = 25

b.      Ranks as the 7th highest month in average species = 16.0

c.      Ranks as the 3rd most consistent month = 1.56 tot sp/ave sp

2.      February

a.      Ranks as the 10th highest month in total species = 24

b.      Ranks as the 8th highest month in average species = 15.9

c.      Ranks as the 2rd most consistent month = 1.51 tot sp/ave sp

3.      March

a.      Ranks as the 5th highest month in total species = 29

b.      Ranks as the 5th highest month in average species = 17.0

c.      Ranks as the 6th most consistent month = 1.71 tot sp/ave sp

4.      April

a.      Ranks as the 3rd highest month in total species = 37

b.      Ranks as the 2nd highest month in average species = 19.5

c.      Ranks as the 8th most consistent month = 1.90 tot sp/ave sp

5.      May

a.      Ranks as the 1st highest month in total species = 46

b.      Ranks as the 1st highest month in average species = 21.0

c.      Ranks as the 11th most consistent month = 2.19 tot sp/ave sp

6.      June

a.      Ranks as the 12th highest month in total species = 21

b.      Ranks as the 9th highest month in average species = 15.0

c.      Ranks as the 1st most consistent month = 1.40 tot sp/ave sp

7.      July

a.      Ranks as the 11th highest month in total species = 23

b.      Ranks as the 10th highest month in average species = 13.2

c.      Ranks as the 7th most consistent month = 1.74 tot sp/ave sp

8.      August

a.      Ranks as the 5th highest month in total species = 29

b.      Ranks as the 11th highest month in average species = 13.1

c.      Ranks as the 12th most consistent month = 2.21 tot sp/ave sp

9.      September

a.      Ranks as the 7th highest month in total species = 27

b.      Ranks as the 12th highest month in average species = 12.4

c.      Ranks as the 10th most consistent month = 2.18 tot sp/ave sp

10.   October

a.      Ranks as the 2nd highest month in total species = 38

b.      Ranks as the 3rd highest month in average species = 18.7

c.      Ranks as the 9th most consistent month = 2.03 tot sp/ave sp

11.   November

a.      Ranks as the 4th highest month in total species = 30

b.      Ranks as the 4th highest month in average species = 17.7

c.      Ranks as the 5th most consistent month = 1.70 tot sp/ave sp

12.   December

a.      Ranks as the 8th highest month in total species = 26

b.      Ranks as the 6th highest month in average species = 16.4

c.      Ranks as the 4th most consistent month = 1.59 tot sp/ave sp


                                                  iv.     Yearly trends

1.      The slope of # of Species for the year = 1.02

2.      The slope of the average species per month for the year = 0.40

                                                   v.     Species trends

1.      Top 10 largest positive slope (becoming more common)

a.      10) Golden-crowned Kinglet = 0.16

b.      10) Tufted Titmouse = 0.16

c.      9) Brown Creeper = 0.18

d.      8) American Goldfinch = 0.19

e.      7) Ruby-throated Hummingbird = 0.24

f.       6) White-throated Sparrow = 0.33

g.      5) Blue Jay = 0.41

h.      4) Eastern Bluebird = 0.47

i.       3) White-breasted Nuthatch = 0.56

j.       2) Song Sparrow = 0.62

k.      1) Carolina Wren = 0.75

2.      Top 10 negative slopes (becoming less common)

a.      10) a six-way tie between American Crow, Golden-winged Warbler, Harris’s Sparrow, House Wren, Magnolia Warbler, Yellow Warbler = -0.02

b.      9) Mallard = -0.04

c.      8) Red-tailed Hawk = -0.05

d.      7) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher = -0.08

e.      6) Chipping Sparrow = -0.09

f.       5) European Starling = -0.12

g.      4) Common Grackle = -0.16

h.      3) Cedar Waxwing = -0.18

i.       2) Mourning Dove = -0.26

j.       1) American Tree Sparrow = -0.29

                                                  vi.     Species Frequency/Months/Rank

1.      House Sparrow                                100.00%              120        1

2.      Northern Cardinal                           100.00%              120        1

3.      Carolina Chickadee                         99.17%                 119        3

4.      House Finch                                      95.83%                 115        4

5.      Downy Woodpecker                       92.50%                 111        5

6.      American Goldfinch                        87.50%                 105        6

7.      White-breasted Nuthatch             85.83%                 103        7

8.      Tufted Titmouse                              84.17%                 101        8

9.      American Robin                               76.67%                 92           9

10.   European Starling                           75.00%                 90           10

11.   Song Sparrow                                   70.00%                 84           11

12.   Mourning Dove                               65.83%                 79           12

13.   Blue Jay                                             62.50%                 75           13

14.   Carolina Wren                                  58.33%                 70           14

15.   Dark-eyed Junco                             58.33%                 70           14

16.   Chipping Sparrow                           50.83%                 61           16

17.   Ruby-throated Hummingbird       44.17%                 53           17

18.   Red-bellied Woodpecker              41.67%                 50           18

19.   Brown-headed Cowbird 3             9.17%                   47           19

20.   Eastern Bluebird                              20.83%                 25           20

21.   Coopers Hawk                                 20.00%                 24           21

22.   Cedar Waxwing                               17.50%                 21           22

23.   Red-breasted Nuthatch                 15.83%                 19           23

24.   White-crowned Sparrow               15.83%                 19           23

25.   Gray Catbird                                     15.00%                 18           25

26.   Golden-crowned Kinglet               14.17%                 17           26

27.   House Wren                                     13.33%                 16           27

28.   White-throated Sparrow               11.67%                 14           28

29.   American Tree Sparrow                 10.00%                 12           29

30.   Common Grackle                            8.33%                   10           30

31.   Brown Creeper                                7.50%                   9             31

32.   Ruby-crowned Kinglet                   6.67%                   8             32

33.   Pine Siskin                                         5.83%                   7             33

34.   Red-winged Blackbird                    5.83%                   7             33

35.   Blue-gray Gnatcatcher                   4.17%                   5             35

36.   American Redstart                          3.33%                   4             36

37.   Eastern Towhee                                             3.33%                   4               36

38.   Northern Flicker                              3.33%                   4             36

39.   Tennessee Warbler                         3.33%                   4             36

40.   Yellow-rumped Warbler                3.33%                   4             36

41.   Black-and-white Warbler              2.50%                   3             41

42.   Blackpoll Warbler                            2.50%                   3             41

43.   Eastern Phoebe                               2.50%                   3             41

44.   Pileated Woodpecker                    2.50%                   3             41

45.   Rose-breasted Grosbeak               2.50%                   3             41

46.   American Crow                                1.67%                   2             46

47.   Brown Thrasher                               1.67%                   2             46

48.   Common Yellowthroat                  1.67%                   2             46

49.   Lincoln's Sparrow                            1.67%                   2             46

50.   Red-shouldered Hawk                   1.67%                   2             46

51.   Yellow Warbler                                1.67%                   2             46

52.   Baltimore Oriole                             0.83%                   1             52

53.   Black-throated Green Warbler    0.83%                   1             52

54.   Blue-headed Vireo                          0.83%                   1             52

55.   Empidonax Flycatcher                    0.83%                   1             52

56.   Field Sparrow                                   0.83%                   1             52

57.   Golden-winged Warbler                0.83%                   1             52

58.   Hairy Woodpecker                          0.83%                   1             52

59.   Harris's Sparrow                              0.83%                   1             52

60.   Magnolia Warbler                           0.83%                   1             52

61.   Mallard                                              0.83%                   1             52

62.   Nashville Warbler                           0.83%                   1             52

63.   Northern Mockingbird                   0.83%                   1             52

64.   Palm Warbler                                   0.83%                   1             52

65.   Red-tailed Hawk                              0.83%                   1             52

66.   Scarlet Tanager                               0.83%                   1             52

67.   Swainson's Thrush                          0.83%                   1             52 

4.      Discussion

a.      This dataset, while fun and insightful, is far from being controlled.  I am not an unbiased observer; I enjoy seeing new birds and I enjoy setting monthly records.  There is no consistency in how much viewing time I may have per month.  I record data by month to try to smooth over inconsistencies in my schedule.  I am sure that I miss many bird species that visit infrequently, such as the Cooper’s Hawks that patrol the neighborhood, the flocks of Cedar Waxwings that descend on fruit and then leave, the migrant warblers passing through, and many such similar examples.  I do not currently have any video surveillance on the feeder area, although the idea is appealing. 

b.      I would have loved to count the American Bittern that landed approximately 50’ east the feeder in the backyard following an overnight storm on April 21, 2022.

c.      The number of kids playing outside and being noisy by the bird window has gone up significantly during the last decade, although luckily this has not shown up in the data.

d.      The habitat of the yard has certainly changed during the last decade.  The spruce trees and amount of turf grass have been on the decline.  The number and coverage of native plants have greatly increased.  It seems safe to suggest that native plants are positively correlated to number of bird species.  Anecdotal evidence suggests that migrating fall warblers relish elderberry fruit.  Dark-eyed Juncos seem to approve of the remnants of my prairie plantings in the winter.  Maturing native trees appear to be correlated to the increased appearance of forest species.  It will be interesting to see what happens as tree coverage increases.

e.      The feeders were removed during the summer of 2021 to try to prevent the spread of disease. 

f.       The larger setting of my property bears some discussion.  The closest somewhat natural feature to my feeder is a perennial stream over 0.2 miles away or an approximately 12 acre woodlot over 0.3 miles away.  An aerial analysis of the surrounding 0.5 miles illustrates the dearth of natural communities.  Undeveloped is a catchall category of fencerows, old field, riparian edge, and farmed wetlands.  This supports two conclusions.  My property is providing important bird habitat.  The birds visiting my feeder are not coming from a nearby natural area.

For more tables and data, check out this pdf.