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.
