Sunday, April 20, 2008 we conducted the monthly Kelleys Island census.  This is the eleventh year for an April census.  Weather was mid-40's to low 50's, overcast with periods of light rain, winds 3-10 mph out of west then north.
 

Participants included myself, Paula Bartlett, Sandy Tkach, and Tom Behlen. 
 

71 species were observed on the census and 3468 individuals with 2 additional species observed on the island but not on the census route.  The eleven year average is 67 species with 4547 individuals.  So our species numbers were above average but individual number were below.  Tufted Titmouse was new for an April census and only the third or forth observed over eleven years of census routes.  A single Broad-winged Hawk was observed

after the route and Sandy Tkach still has a pair of Common Redpolls coming to her feeders.  Unfortunately, the feeders are not along the census route. Surprisingly missing from the census were Great Black-backed Gull and Golden-crowned Kinglet.  In fact, gulls were few and far between.

71 Species seen

2        Common Loon

108     Double-crested Cormorant

25      Great Blue Heron

29      Canada Goose

2       Wood Duck

58      Mallard

70      Lesser Scaup

122    Bufflehead

2       Hooded Merganser

77      Red-breasted Merganser

2       Turkey Vulture

2       Bald Eagle

1       Sharp-shinned Hawk

*       Broad-winged Hawk

1       Red-tailed Hawk

1       Merlin

3       Sora

9       Killdeer

1       Solitary Sandpiper

19     Bonaparte's Gull

4       Ring-billed Gull

58     Herring Gull

3       Mourning Dove

1       Eastern Screech-Owl

1       Belted Kingfisher

6       Red-bellied Woodpecker

1       Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

22      Downy Woodpecker

1       Hairy Woodpecker

5       Northern Flicker

3       Eastern Phoebe

8       Blue Jay

21      American Crow

11      Purple Martin

217    Tree Swallow

21      Northern Rough-winged Swallow

44      Barn Swallow

34      Black-capped Chickadee

1       Tufted Titmouse

3       Red-breasted Nuthatch

2       White-breasted Nuthatch

4       Brown Creeper

3       Carolina Wren

2       House Wren

1       Winter Wren

11      Ruby-crowned Kinglet

1       Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

2       Hermit Thrush

246     American Robin

7       Brown Thrasher

142     European Starling

7       Yellow Warbler

11      Yellow-rumped Warbler

2       Pine Warbler

4       "Western" Palm Warbler

63      Northern Cardinal

4       Eastern Towhee

117    Chipping Sparrow

1       Field Sparrow

2       Song Sparrow

2       Swamp Sparrow

19      White-throated Sparrow

2       White-crowned Sparrow

5       Dark-eyed Junco

668    Red-winged Blackbird

1       Eastern Meadowlark

4       Rusty Blackbird

961    Common Grackle

64      Brown-headed Cowbird

89      House Finch

*       Common Redpoll

7       American Goldfinch

15      House Sparrow

 

71      Total species

3468    Total individuals

 

* = observed on island on census day
but not on census route.

 

Tom Bartlett
Tiffin, Ohio