̽����ѡ

The 123^rd Christmas Bird Count started off with an unusual and fascinating twist. While doing my area on the Northampton, Massachusetts CBC with my field partner Mary Lou, even as we got out of our cars at the parking lot, we could hear a major crow ruckus—American Crows, first bird of the day—somewhere nearby. It seemed a bit more intense than the usual crow family conversations, but it was somewhat distant, and we figured it would stop shortly. It did not. As we began our route, the cawing got louder and even more intense, and shortly we could see six crows across a field gathered around a white pine at the edge of the forest.

The crows were repeatedly diving at a broken off vertical pine branch, a snag, and we realized there might be an owl, perhaps a screech-owl or saw-whet, in a hole on the other side of the dead stump. Try as we might, we couldn’t find the cavity. But after a couple of minutes, much to our surprise, the snag turned its head around and revealed to us it was a nearly perfectly camouflaged Great Horned Owl, hiding in plain sight. We weren’t looking at a dead snag, we were looking at a very much alive owl’s back, and it wasn’t until the bird turned to glare at the mobbing crows (and us?) that we realized our silly mistake.

In a lifetime of birding, there have been thousands of times I have mistaken a dead snag (or a clump, plastic bottle, or bag in a field or marsh) as an owl or other bird of prey. But I had never before mistaken a bird for a snag!

In the final tallies, the 123^rd Christmas Bird Count participation seems to have recovered from the shadow of Covid. Included are near-record numbers of both completed circles and numbers of observers. In the 123^rd Count, the 2625 counts (476 in Canada, 1998 in the United States, and 151 in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Pacific Islands) is only second to the 2646 counts included in the 120^th CBC—the season before Covid-19 curtailed so much of our lives. This season’s number of counts just bested last season’s 2621 counts. Every CBC season there are new circles set up in new areas across the hemisphere, and for the 123^rd Count Table 1 lists the 31 new circles (2 in Canada, 26 in the United States, and 3 in Latin America) contributing to this year’s global effort. Many thanks, and welcome aboard all!

The number of participants in the 123^rd CBC, 79,005 (67,203 field observers and 11,802 feeder watchers), was the third highest ever, lower than the record high 81,601 in the incredible 120^th Count, and also lower than last season’s 76,880. The complete breakdown in participation included 14,279 observers in Canada (10,463 field observers and 3816 feeder watchers), 61,560 observers in the United States (53,722 field observers and 7838 feeder watchers), and 3166 folks (3018 field observers and 148 feeder watchers) in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Pacific Islands. As is clear from these numbers, there are tremendous numbers of birders involved with the CBC, and the hard-working compilers of the more than 2600 circles do an amazing job of shepherding all their interested folks into the meaningful effort that the CBC results produce. Some counts in relatively remote locations have very few participants; others in areas where there is a larger bird-friendly population and birding community can have a seemingly overwhelming interest. Table 2 displays the list of 89 Christmas Bird Counts with 100 or more participants in the 123^rd CBC.

The end results of each Christmas Bird Count season are often significantly impacted by the weather. These effects include the conditions during the December 14-January 5 count period, but also (and notably) the fall and summer seasons prior to the given count. Weather conditions on count days definitely impact the number of birders attending counts, the behavior of birds in the areas, and the ability of the birders to find and identify birds. Challenging weather equals challenging birding, which can result in lower species totals and numbers of birds tallied. Local, regional, and even continental environmental conditions can affect both the numbers and species composition of birds in most CBC count circles. The pre-count seasonal conditions resulting in food availability in the northern tier of regions continentally, both for mammalian and seed crops, will affect where boreal raptors and “winter finches” are found during the CBC period. Prior to and during the 123^rd Christmas Bird Count, environmental conditions were remarkably “normal” for recent decades and even the long-term droughts in the Southwest and Texas showed signs of abating. There was one major exception: Hurricane Ian, which slammed into the coast of southwestern Florida in September of 2022. Ian came ashore in the Category 4-5 range, with winds of 160+ mph, and was the costliest storm in Florida history. It caused catastrophic damage both environmentally and to human infrastructure and resulted in the loss of hundreds of human lives. It will take years, if not decades, to evaluate the environmental costs and rebuild life following such a storm. Yet nearly every CBC in that area was conducted during the 123^rd CBC. Even on Sanibel and Captiva Islands, where the bridges had been destroyed by the hurricane, volunteers held their Christmas Bird Count in the hopes of beginning the immediate documentation of the effects on wildlife as well as the human population of the area.

We should all give a huge voice of thanks to every compiler and participant who undertakes such counts—and those who have undertaken similar efforts in the past after other environmental disasters. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

With all the kerfuffle about counting species, where did we come out in the 123^rd Christmas Bird Count? From all counts in every region, the total number species tallied in the 123^rd CBC was 2244, plus 432 hybrids and identifiable forms. This overall total is slightly lower than in the past couple of years, but unfortunately this season there were no counts from Cuba or Honduras, and fewer counts in Colombia and Brazil due to Covid issues and other challenges. Each additional count in the incredibly diverse neotropics can add a significant number of species to the overall total, and that may be why the number of species dropped in the 123^rd Count. Included in that overall total, United States Christmas Bird Counts reported 671 species, 70 infraspecific forms, and 35 exotic species. The Southern Lapwing at Oscoda, Michigan, and the Wood Sandpiper at San Jacinto Lake, California, were new species to the cumulative North American CBC database. Additionally, Burrowing Parakeet at San Diego, California, an exotic introduced species, was new. And it should be noted that the first-ever CBC Social Flycatcher from last season returned to Brownsville, Texas in the 123^rd CBC. In Canada, counts reported 279 species, a decrease of 13 species compared to last season, which was exceptionally diverse.

Overall, there are both good news and troubling news trends to report. In Hawaii, the numbers of seabirds tallied at Midway and on the Hawaiian Islands was amazing; check out the incredible numbers of albatrosses, including three critically endangered Short-tailed Albatross, at Midway Island. And there was a record number of the astoundingly beautiful White Terns in Honolulu. Elsewhere, and essentially continentally, Northern Bobwhite and Loggerhead Shrike continue to decline, as well as Groove-billed Anis in the south-central regions. In general, this 123^rd CBC season, there were no “irruptions” of boreal raptors, winter finches, or winter frugivores, although Bohemian Waxwings and Pine Grosbeaks did move into some regions south of their “normal” habitats.

In the big picture, on CBCs and at other times of year, keep your eyes peeled for Common Ravens and—yes—Limpkins! Ravens are moving southward and increasing their stronghold on the central and southern regions of North America, likely in response to the current lack of persecution and (especially) the proliferation of cell phone towers, which provide perfect nesting habitat for ravens. Limpkins, on the other hand, are exploding northward from the deep Southeastern United States, likely in response to both a warming winter climate and the rapid expansion of introduced tropical apple snails, which the birds have quickly taken a liking to. Additionally, this adaptation seems to have enabled Limpkins to eat other marine invertebrates, further enabling their northward expansion.

Nowhere near a new species for the Christmas Bird Count, but nonetheless one of the most amazing records during the 123^rd CBC season, was the White-crowned Pigeon at Wilmington, North Carolina. A nearly non-migratory bird of the deep Caribbean, and normally only found in the Florida Keys on North American CBCs, this bird was an amazing shock, and a first state record, in North Carolina.

Then we have Pink-footed Geese. Back in the days of the movie The Big Year 15 years ago, this species was one of those “holy grail” birds that birders would traverse the continent for at the drop of a hat. During the 123^rd season this species was tallied on seven counts on the East Coast from Newfoundland to Delaware, and inland to Kentucky. As with many of the Arctic-breeding geese, including Barnacle, Ross’s, Greater White-fronted, and especially Snow geese, their numbers are rapidly increasing with the warming summer temperatures in the tundra, often to the detriment of other Arctic-breeding shorebirds and land birds. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out in the coming decades.

No matter where we are, we hope that we’ll find the most, and most interesting, birds during our CBC outings. Counts in the more southern and coastal regions have the best possibility of tallying higher species totals, and one benchmark for Christmas Bird Counts is finding 150 species or more. Table 3 lists the 129 counts during the 123^rd Christmas Bird Count that tallied this number or higher during their Count Days.

Independent from where we stand overall, each season all of us hope we’ll be able to find the most species on a Christmas Bird Count in our count area, for the day, on our overall count, or possibly most importantly, in our CBC region. This rank, more than many, can reflect both the effort expended and the conditions encountered during our census days. No matter how things go each season, we always do our best to count every bird—and species—during our day in the field, and hope it pushes us toward the high tally! Table 4 is the list of High Species Counts by region in the 123^rd CBC.

Okay, so that’s all about species tallies. What about the number of birds seen? Many birders who’ve been in the field for years or decades commiserate about how “there aren’t as many birds around as there used to be.” It’s a gut feeling that many of us have on CBCs and in general, but is it true? Are there really fewer birds out there, or are we getting older and less able to find or hear every bird out there? The harsh reality seems to be that there are far fewer birds in the Western Hemisphere than there were 50 years ago.  in recent decades than before. But how is this reflected in Christmas Bird Count data?

Here are some harsh statistics: During the 123^rd Christmas Bird Count, all CBCs everywhere, from the Arctic to South America, tallied 40,298,635 birds in all. This includes 36,680,012 birds in the United States, 3,216,551 in Canada, and 402,072 in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Pacific Islands. Despite a nearly record amount of effort and geographic coverage, this is the lowest total number of birds tallied since my tenure in charge of the Christmas Bird Count. During the 73^rd CBC (the first with counts outside US and Canada including counts in Puerto Rico, Belize, and Mexico), there were 20,373 observers on 1031 counts, tallying 71,183,807 birds. That is close to twice as many birds, counted by far fewer people in many fewer counts, as tallied this past season.

In the 88^th Christmas Bird Count, my first season in charge of the Count, 41,920 observers on 1531 counts tallied 193,356,225 birds. That number of birds included the incredible tallies at Pine Prairie, Louisiana, with 103,697,871 birds there alone, including over 53 million Red-winged Blackbirds. It’s true that these huge “blackbird” roosts can overwhelm the total number of birds seen elsewhere, but it’s particularly notable that since those seasons the blackbird roosts, and those of some other species, have been completely missing from CBC results. Have they just been outside CBC circles and missed? Possibly, but certainly not likely for nearly 40 years.

The ̽����ѡ Science team is documenting which species on Christmas Bird Counts seem to have declined the most. Preliminary analyses of Christmas Bird Count data seem to point to the decline of “blackbirds” and other similarly, and formerly, abundant species on the North American landscape as the primary contributors to this troubling decline in CBC numbers despite increased effort and geographic coverage.

Another event, this one global affecting bird populations, is the current avian epidemic of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), or “bird flu.” Thus far the current iteration of bird flu in wild birds has mostly, and drastically, affected seabirds and waterfowl in the northern regions of Europe and the Arctic, although North American breeding colonies of Northern Gannets were severely hit this past summer. As of this writing there are 8187 documented deaths of wild birds in North America, the vast majority being waterfowl ranging in size from Trumpeter Swan to Bufflehead. However, there are surprising numbers of other species, including American White Pelican, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, California Condor, Caspian Tern, Great Horned Owl, and American Crow documented with the HPAI bird flu in North America.

So far there haven’t seemed to be any effects on Christmas Bird Count results, but this is an event that bears watching for the next several CBC seasons. We may well see a drop in the numbers of Northern Gannets seen along the East Coast this season during the upcoming 124^th Christmas Bird Count, and the CBC will be one tool that researchers will have to document the effects of HPAI bird flu on North American bird populations.

Tables 

Table 1.  New counts in the 123^rd (2022-2023) Christmas Bird Count

Count Code     Count Name

CANADA

ONGO            Goderich

QCAR             Argenteuil

UNITED STATES

CAAC             Angels Camp

CAWD            Woodland-Davis

CORC             Rifle Creek

FLDI               Dinner Island Ranch-East Okaloacoochee Slough

FLTV              The Villages-Lake Panasofkee

GATH             Thomaston

IAID                Ida County

IAMS              Marshall County

KYWI             Willisburg

MNLK            Lakeville-Farmington

MNOR           Ortonville

MNWE           West Hennepin

MTQU            Quigley

NYND            Northern Dutchess County

OHRC             Raccoon Creek

PABI               Belleville

PASY              Southeastern York County

SCEI               Edisto Island

SCJI                James Island

SCLB              Lewis Ocean Bay H.P.-Waccamaw River

TXFT              Fort Bend

TXSE              San Antonio East

TXTS              Tascosa-Seyffert

TXWL            Whitney Lake

WINB             Northern Brule River

WYGH            Goshen Hole

LATIN AMERICA

BLMF             Maya Forest Corridor, Belize District, Belize

MXSL             Sierra de la Laguna, Baja California Sur, México

NIBR              Bosawás Biosphere Reserve, RACCN, Nicaragua

(31 new counts)

Table 2.  Counts with 100 or more participants in the 123^rd (2022-2023) CBC

Code        Count Name                                                # Observers     (Field + Feeder)

ABED      Edmonton, AB                                                    426              (187 + 239)

SCHH      Hilton Head Island, SC                                      379              (280 + 99)

ORPD      Portland, OR                                                     368              (270 + 98)

BCVI       Victoria, BC                                                        357              (306 + 51)

CAOA     Oakland, CA                                                       323              (288 + 35)

WASE     Seattle, WA                                                        319              (230 + 89)

MACO     Concord, MA                                                     294              (167 + 127)

MANO    Northampton, MA                                               293              (235 + 58)

ABCA      Calgary, AB                                                        259              (115 + 144)

OREU      Eugene, OR                                                      255              (153 + 102)

NJLH       Lower Hudson, NJ-NY                                      243              (243 + 0)

DCDC      Washington, DC                                               240              (237 + 3)

UTKA      Kanab, UT                                                         238              (138 + 100)

WIMA     Madison, WI                                                       222              (196 + 26)

CASB      Santa Barbara, CA                                            194              (190 + 4)

MDSE      Seneca, MD                                                      191              (171 + 20)

VAFB      Fort Belvoir, VA                                                  189              (177 + 12)

PAPI        Pittsburgh, PA                                                    185              (149 + 36)

ONOH     Ottawa-Gatineau, ON                                        181              (153 + 28)

CAPR      Point Reyes Peninsula, CA                               180              (180 + 0)

WAED     Edmonds, WA                                                    180              (111 + 69)

SCSC       Sun City-Okatie, SC                                           173              (155 + 18)

NYIT       Ithaca, NY                                                           171              (161 + 10)

WAEV     Everett-Marysville, WA                                      171              (95 + 76)

COBO      Boulder, CO                                                        168              (164 + 4)

FLSR       Sarasota, FL                                                        164              (160 + 4)

BCGS      Galiano-North Saltspring, BC                             161              (121 + 40)

ONKG     Kingston, ON                                                      161              (62 + 99)

BCVA      Vancouver, BC                                                    160              (151 + 9)

VACL      Central Loudon, VA                                           160              (155 + 5)

CAPA      Palo Alto, CA                                                      159              (155 + 4)

AKAN     Anchorage, AK                                                   154              (106 + 48)

COCS      Colorado Springs, CO                                         152              (138 + 14)

ONLO      London, ON                                                        152              (125 + 27)

QCQU     Quebec, QC                                                         152              (139 + 13)

AKFA      Fairbanks, AK                                                     149              (93 + 56)

CAOC      Orange County (coastal), CA                              148              (148 + 0)

UTSL       Salt Lake City, UT                                              148              (132 + 16)

CODV     Denver (urban) CO                                             147              (135 + 12)

ECNM     Mindo-Tandayapa, Ecuador                                144              (92 + 52)

CASD      San Diego, CA                                                    140              (140 + 0)

OHCF      Cuyahoga Falls, OH                                            138              (127 + 11)

RIBI         Block Island, RI                                                  138              (138 + 0)

FLGA      Gainesville, FL                                                    135              (123 + 12)

WASD     Sequim-Dungeness, WA                                     133              (106 + 27)

ONTO      Toronto, ON                                                        132              (120 + 12)

WIMI       Milwaukee, WI                                                   131              (106 + 25)

COEI       Evergreen-Idaho Springs, CO                             130              (77 + 53)

CARI       Richmond, CA                                                    129              (123 + 6)

CAON     Orange County (northeastern), CA                     128              (128 + 0)

ECCH      Chiles-Chical, Carchi, Ecuador-Colombia         128              (107 + 21)

MAGB     Greater Boston, MA                                            127              (127 + 0)

MIAA      Ann Arbor, MI                                                    127              (100 + 27)

MITW      Tawas, MI                                                           127              (124 + 3)

NYBR      L.I.: Brooklyn, NY                                              127              (124 + 3)

SCLO      Lowcountry, SC                                                  126              (90 + 36)

CASF       San Francisco, CA                                              125              (122 + 3)

AZTV      Tucson Valley, AZ                                              124              (114 + 10)

CAMR     Morro Bay, CA                                                   124              (123 + 1)

BCSS       Sidney-South Saltspring, BC                              121              (100 + 21)

CODE      Denver, CO                                                         121              (111 + 10)

BCPI        Pender Islands, BC                                              119              (102 + 17)

COFC      Fort Collins, CO                                                  119              (106 + 13)

NSHD      Halifax-Dartmouth, NS                                       119              (96 + 23)

MBWI     Winnipeg, MB                                                    118              (87 + 31)

VAWI      Williamsburg, VA                                               116              (59 + 57)

BCPM      Pitt Meadows, BC                                               114              (104 + 10)

CTHA      Hartford, CT                                                        114              (109 + 5)

ONHA     Hamilton, ON                                                      112              (106 + 6)

NYBW    Bronx-Westchester Region, NY                         111              (107 + 4)

CARS      Rancho Santa Fe, CA                                          110              (105 + 5)

CAWS     Western Sonoma County, CA                             110              (105 + 5)

CACS      Crystal Springs, CA                                            109              (105 + 4)

CASC      Sant Cruz County, CA                                        109              (109 + 0)

CAVE      Ventura, CA                                                        109              (103 + 6)

TNNA      Nashville, TN                                                      108              (54 + 54)

CRLS       La Selva, Lower Braulio Carillo N.P.,

                 Costa Rica                                                        107              (107 + 0)

PAGL      Delaware County (Glenolden), PA                     107              (96 + 11)

WAOL     Olympia, WA                                                      107              (89 + 18)

WIRE      Newburg--Riveredge Nature Center, WI            107              (51 + 56)

FLVE       Venice-Englewood, FL                                       106              (104 + 2)

ORSA      Salem, OR                                                         106              (63 + 43)

BCPQ      Parksville-Qualicum Beach, BC                        104              (60 + 44)

WAVA    Vashon, WA                                                         104              (71 + 33)

CAOV     Oceanside-Vista-Carlsbad, CA                          103              (102 + 1)

TXMM    Matagorda County-Mad Island Marsh, TX         103              (101 + 2)

CAMC     Marin County (southern), CA                             102              (100 + 2)

MNSP      St. Paul (north), MN                                           102              (81 + 21)

MTMI      Missoula, MT                                                      101              (78 + 23)

(89 counts with 100 or more participants)

Table 3:  Counts with 150 or more species recorded in the 123^rd (2022-2023) CBC

Table 3a:  Counts north of the United States-Mexican border

Count Code   Rank         Count Name                                            Species Recorded

TXMM                  1          Matagorda County-Mad Island Marsh, TX          218

CASD                   2          San Diego, CA                                                      213

TXGF                    3          Guadalupe River Delta-McFadden Ranch, TX    202

CAPR                    4          Point Reyes Peninsula, CA                                   201

CAMR                  5          Morro Bay, CA                                                     200

CASB                    6          Santa Barbara, CA                                                196

CAMD                  7          Moss Landing, CA                                               195

CATO                   8          Thousand Oaks, CA                                             194

TXJC                    8          Jackson-Calhoun Counties, TX                            194

CAOC                   10        Orange County (coastal), CA                               192

CAVE                   10        Ventura, CA                                                          192

TXCC                   12        Corpus Christi, TX                                               190

CACS                    13        Crystal Springs, CA                                              189

CAOV                   14        Oceanside-Vista-Carlsbad, CA                            185

TXFR                    14        Freeport, TX                                                         185

CAOA                   16        Oakland, CA                                                         184

CARS                    17        Rancho Santa Fe, CA                                           181

SCMC                   17        McClellanville, SC                                               181

CAHF                   19        Hayward-Fremont, CA                                         180

TXSB                    19        San Bernard N.W.R., TX                                     180

CACB                   21        Centerville Beach to King Salmon, CA               179

CALB                   21        Long Beach-el Dorado, CA                                  179

CAAR                   23        Arcata, CA                                                            178

CASF                    23        San Francisco, CA                                                178

CALA                   25        Los Angeles, CA                                                  176

CAPP                    26        Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA                                 175

FLGA                    27        Gainesville, FL                                                     174

CASJ                     28        San Jose, CA                                                         172

AZNO                   29        Nogales, AZ                                                          171

TXGA                   29        Galveston, TX                                                      171

CAPS                    31        Pasadena-San Gabriel Valley, CA                       170

CARI                    31        Richmond, CA                                                      170

CASC                    31        Santa Cruz County, CA                                        170

CAPA                   34        Palo Alto, CA                                                       169

CAWS                  35        Western Sonoma County, CA                              168

GASV                   36        Savannah, GA-SC                                                165

CABE                   37        Benicia, CA                                                          163

CACT                   38        Cheep Thrills, CA                                                 162

CAMC                  38        Marin County (southern), CA                              162

FLAL                    38        Alafia Banks, FL                                                  162

FLNP                    38        North Pinellas, FL                                                162

SCLP                    38        Litchfield-Pawleys Island, SC                              162

SCSI                      38        Sea Islands, SC                                                     162

AZGV                   44        Green Valley-Madera Canyon, AZ                      161

CACN                   44        Carpinteria, CA                                                    161

TXLA                   44        Laguna Atascosa N.W.R., TX                              161

CACC                   47        Contra Costa County, CA                                     160

FLSR                    47        Sarasota, FL                                                          160

LAPI                     47        Palmetto Island, LA                                              160

TXWG                  47        West End Galveston Island, TX                           160

FLBA                    51        Bradenton, FL                                                       158

FLNR                    51        West Pasco (New Port Richey), FL                     158

FLSM                    51        St. Marks, FL                                                        158

CAES                    54        Escondido, CA                                                      157

TXBP                    54        Bolivar Peninsula, TX                                          157

TXBR                   54        Brazoria-Columbia Bottomlands, TX                  157

AZRC                   57        Ramsey Canyon, AZ                                            156     

CADN                   57        Del Norte County, CA                                          156

FLSB                    57        South Brevard County, FL                                   156

FLSP                     57        St. Petersburg, FL                                                 156

NCWI                   57        Wilmington, NC                                                   156

CAON                   62        Orange County (northeastern), CA                      155

CASM                   62        Sacramento, CA                                                    155

FLJA                     62        Jacksonville, FL                                                    155

SCWB                   62        Winyah Bay, SC                                                   155

TXCF                    62        Corpus Christi (Flour Bluff), TX                         155

CAMP                   67        Monterey Peninsula, CA                                      154

CAMU                  67        Malibu, CA                                                           154

CASL                    67        San Jacinto Lake, CA                                           154

TXPO                    67        Powderhorn, TX                                                   154

AZTV                   71        Tucson Valley, AZ                                               153

FLWP                   71        West Palm Beach, FL                                           153

MDOC                  71        Ocean City, MD                                                   153

NJCM                   71        Cape May, NJ                                                       153

TXCK                   71        Choke Canyon, TX                                               153

TXHG                   71        Harlingen, TX                                                       153

TXAP                    77        Attwater Prairie Chicken N.W.R., TX                 152

TXAZ                   77        Anzalduas-Bentsen, TX                                        152

CASZ                    79        Sonoma Valley, CA                                              151

GAGC                   79        Glynn County, GA                                               151

NCSB                    79        Southport-Bald Head-Oak Islands, NC                151

TXWS                   79        Weslaco, TX                                                         151

TXPA                    83        Port Aransas, TX                                                  150

Table 3b:  Counts south of the United States-Mexican border

ECNM                  1          Mindo-Tandayapa, Pichincha, Ecuador               354

CRLS                    2          La Selva, Lower Braulio Carillo N.P.,

                                          Costa Rica                                                             349

CRMO                  3          Monteverde, Costa Rica                                       338

CRCT                    4          Coto Brus, Puntarenas, Costa Rica                       296

MXSB                   5          San Blas, Nayarit, México                                    285

ECCH                   6          Chiles-Chical, Carchi, Ecuador                            275

RPPC                    7          Pacific Canal Area, Panama                                 267

BLSL                    8          Spanish Lookout, Cayo, Belize                            264

GMLT                   9          Laguna del Tigre N.P.-Las Guacamayas

                                        Biological Station, Petén, Guatemala                   256

ECMA                  10        Machalilla-Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador                239

CROP                    11        Osa Peninsula, Puntarenas, Costa Rica                237

RPCC                    12        Central Canal Area, Panama                                231

BLMF                   13        Maya Forest Corridor, Belize District, Belize      230

CRCA                   14        Cacao-Area de Conservacion Guancaste,

                                          Costa Rica                                                             226

BLCO                   15        Corozal, Sarteneja, Belize                                    225

BLCB                    16        Cockscomb Basin, Belize                                     219

BLBE                    17        Belmopan, Belize                                                 215

ECBM                   18        Los Bancos-Milpe, Pichincha, Ecuador               206

BLBC                    19        Belize City, Belize                                                204

CRPV                    20        Palo Verde N.P., Guanacaste, Costa Rica            196

ECHL                    21        Humedal La Segua, Chone, Manabi, Ecuador     195

BLPG                    22        Punta Gorda, Belize                                              191

TRTR                    23        Trinidad, W.I.                                                       190

CRSR                    24        Santa Rosa – Area de Conservacion Guanacaste,

                                          Costa Rica                                                             184

MXES                   24        Ensenada, Baja California, México                      184

CLBB                    26        Rio Barbas-Bremen Natural Reserve,

                                          Quindío, Colombia                                               180

RPAC                    26        Atlantic Canal Area, Panama                               180

CLRP                    28        Reserva de Planalto, Caldas, Colombia               178

NIPI                      29        Paso del Itsmo Biological Corridor,

                                          Rivas, Nicaragua                                                  175

MXSP                   30        San Pancho-La Cruz-Punta de Mita,

                                          Nayarit, Mexico                                                    172

ECCC                    31        Cumandá, Chimborazo, Ecuador                         169

CLCO                   32        Cordillera Occidental, Valle del Cauca,

                                          Colombia                                                              168

MXCZ                  33        Coast of Central Veracruz, Mexico                      166

MXEG                  34        El Yugo, Sinaloa, Mexico                                    162

NIRJ                      35        Reserva El Jaguar, Jinotega, Nicaragua               158

CLFC                    36        Farallones de Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia   156

MXLN                  36        Laguna de Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico                    156

ECRA                   38        Rancho Aleman, Guayas, Ecuador                       155

MXMN                 38        Morelos Norte, Morelos, México                         155

ECRG                   40        Runahurco-Gualaquiza, Morona Santiago,

                                          Ecuador                                                                 152

MXEC                  41        El Cuyo, Yucatan, Mexico                                   151

MXOJ                   41        Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca, Mexico                      151

MXAL                  43        Alamos, Sonora, Mexico                                      150

Table 4:  Regional high counts for the 123^rd (2022-2023) CBC

Region                        # of CBCs                   Highest Count (species total)

Newfoundland & Labrador    10                    St. Johns (69)

Nova Scotia                            32                    Halifax-Dartmouth (115)

Prince Edward Island              3                      Hillsborough (56)      

New Brunswick                      48                    St. John (72)

Quebec                                    38                    Quebec (77)

Ontario                                    123                  Blenheim (113)

Manitoba                                 20                    Winnipeg (44)

Saskatchewan                         41                    Gardner Dam (38)

                                                                        Saskatoon (38)

Alberta                                    55                    Calgary (65)

British Columbia                    91                    Victoria (137)

Northwest Territories             4                      Hay River (17)

Nunavut                                  2                      Arctic Bay (2)

Yukon Territory                      9                      Whitehorse (28)

Alaska                                     38                    Kodiak (79)

Maine                                      32                    Greater Portland (106)

New Hampshire                      18                    Coastal New Hampshire (104)

Vermont                                  21                    Burlington (82)

Massachusetts                         32                    Mid-Cape Cod (148)

Rhode Island                           4                      Newport County-Westport (135)

Connecticut                             18                    Stratford-Milford (124)

New York                               76                    L.I.: Southern Nassau County (134)

New Jersey                             29                    Cape May (153)

Pennsylvania                           83                    Southern Bucks County (100)

Delaware                                 7                      Cape Henlopen-Prime Hook (142)

Maryland                                25                    Ocean City (153)

District of Columbia               1                      Washington (99)

Virginia                                   52                    Cape Charles (148)

North Carolina                        54                    Wilmington (156)

South Carolina                        29                    McClellanville (181)

Georgia                                   28                    Savannah, GA-SC (165)

Florida                                    83                    Gainesville (174)

Ohio                                        69                    Mansfield (93)

West Virginia                         22                    Morgantown (90)

Kentucky                                40                    East Allen County (96)

Tennessee                               29                    Duck River (126)

Alabama                                  13                    Gulf Shores (137)

Mississippi                              17                    Southern Hancock County (141)

Michigan                                 71                    Anchor Bay (88)

Indiana                                    44                    Western Gibson County (104)

Wisconsin                               108                  Madison (98)

Illinois                                     69                    Rend Lake (103)

Minnesota                               83                    St. Paul (north) (61)

Iowa                                        35                    Keokuk (99)

Missouri                                  31                    (Horton) Four Rivers (110)

Arkansas                                 28                    Lake Dardanelle (113)

Louisiana                                26                    Palmetto Island (160)

North Dakota                          16                    Fargo-Moorhead (63)

South Dakota                          16                    Yankton (79)

Nebraska                                 14                    Lake McConaughy (79)

Kansas                                    28                    Lawrence (96)

Oklahoma                               16                    Tishomingo N.W.R. (122)

Texas                                      116                  Matagorda County-Mad Island Marsh (218)

Montana                                  31                    Big Fork (83)

Idaho                                       28                    Nampa (106)

Wyoming                                19                    Casper (63)

                                                                        Kane (63)

Colorado                                 51                    Pueblo Reservoir (128)

New Mexico                           31                    Caballo (127)

Utah                                        26                    Salt Lake City (118)

Nevada                                    16                    Truckee Meadows (119)

Arizona                                   40                    Nogales (171)

Washington                             45                    Sequim-Dungeness (143)

Oregon                                    46                    Coquille Valley (148)

California                                130                  San Diego (213)

Hawaii                                    14                    O’ahu: Waipi’o (52)

Pacific Islands                         2                      Saipan, C.N.M.I. (36)

Guam                                      2                      Southern Guam (29)

Mexico                                    55                    San Blas, Nayarit (285)

Belize                                      7                      Spanish Lookout, Cayo (264)

Guatemala                               4                      Laguna del Tigre N.P. (256)

El Salvador                             1                      Suchitoto, Cuscatlán (143)

Nicaragua                                4                      Paso del Itsmo Biological Corridor, Rivas (175)

Costa Rica                               8                      La Selva, Lower Braulio Carillo N.P. (349)

Panama                                   5                      Pacific Canal Area (267)

Colombia                                26                    Rio Barbas-Bremen Natural Reserve, Quindío (180)

Ecuador                                   14                    Mindo-Tandayapa, Pichincha (354)

Brazil                                      2                      Manaus-Camp 41, Amazonas (54)

Trinidad                                  1                      Trinidad (190)

Tobago                                    2                      Scarborough Botanics, Western Tobago (81)

Bahamas                                 5                      New Providence Island (102)

Dominican Republic               2                      Parque Nacional El Morro, Monte Cristi (90)

Puerto Rico                             5                      Cabo Rojo (132)                                            

British Virgin Islands             2                      Tortola (48)

U.S. Virgin Islands                 3                      St. John (59)

Bermuda                                 1                      Bermuda (90)