Wrapping up the Great Backyard Bird Count

Though the Great Backyard Bird Count ended on February 15th, online data entry remained open for a time to allow birders enough time to submit reports. The deadline for submitting sightings is tomorrow, March 1st. If you have any extra checklists to submit, now is the time to do it.

The Audubon Magazine blog has a summary of the early results. Some of the unusual reports included Yellow-billed Loon, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Rustic Bunting, and Rufous-capped Warbler. You can see what else was reported on the GBBC's "explore the results" page.

Among the things you can see on that results page are the species reported in each state and locality. The lists are sortable, so it is easy to see which birds have been reported the most at a variety of geographic levels. You can also see data presented in map form and view reports for individual species. Below are two tables of  species reported in New Jersey.

The first shows the species that were reported in the greatest numbers.

Species	Number of Birds	Number of Checklists
Canada Goose	36408	426
American Crow	25306	716
Dark-eyed Junco	17439	1930
Common Grackle	16458	586
European Starling	13068	994
Snow Goose	10152	30
American Robin	8349	678
House Sparrow	8295	1039
White-throated Sparrow	7900	1204
Mourning Dove	7294	1507

The second shows the species reported on the most checklists.

Species	Number of Birds	Number of Checklists
Dark-eyed Junco	17439	1930
Northern Cardinal	5233	1797
Mourning Dove	7294	1507
Blue Jay	4836	1472
Tufted Titmouse	3869	1415
Downy Woodpecker	2153	1276
White-throated Sparrow	7900	1204
House Sparrow	8295	1039
European Starling	13068	994
House Finch	4349	972

There is nothing surprising on New Jersey's top ten lists. Birds like Snow Goose and Canada Goose gather in large flocks, so they appear in large numbers on relatively few checklists. Downy Woodpecker and Tufted Titmouse range widely, so they show up on many checklists, but birders usually only see one or two at a time, so they appear in the GBBC results in smaller numbers than other common birds.

One question going into this year's GBBC was how much the Pine Siskin count would differ from last year. In 2009, the GBBC recorded 7,848 Pine Siskins on 664 checklists in New Jersey. This year, New Jersey birders reported 185 siskins on 52 checklists. The difference is remarkable and emphasizes just how extraordinary last year's irruption was.