Thirty-three birders in the field plus two feeder-watchers counted 62,416 birds of 148 species in the Tillamook Bay Christmas Bird Count (CBC) circle on Dec. 17.
Over the 48 years of the Tillamook Bay CBC, 238 species have been seen. This year's total of 148 was higher than the average of 130 species.
A Least Flycatcher was seen and photographed in Rockaway Beach. This species had last been observed on the 1992 count, but during "count week." The Barred Owl was another species seen for the second time, the first being in 2009. New high numbers were set for eight species - the Cackling Goose, Bufferhead, Cooper's Hawk, Red-Shouldered Hawk, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Black Phoebe, Steller's Jay and American Pipit.
The Tillamook Bay CBC circle is 15 miles in diameter, covering about 177 square miles, centered at the intersection of Highway 101 and Main Street in Bay City. Birders divided into parties concentrating on various sectors of the circle to count all the birds in that sector.
The 2012 Tillamook Bay CBC is set for Saturday, Dec. 15. The count is open to birders of all skill levels. Except for feeder-watchers and those under 18, all participants must pay a $5 fee to National Audubon. For more information about the Tillamook Bay CBC, contact the compiler, Owen Schmidt, at 503-789-4854 or via email at oschmidt@att.net.
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