Photo: Tufted Titmouse, Stephanie Dean

Phil Silas, Manassas-Bull Run Compiler

The 40th Annual Manassas-Bull Run Christmas Bird Count on December 21, 2021 was conducted for the 2nd year following special Covid-19 protocols. The participant count was 101 field observers plus 3 feeder watchers as a limited number of new volunteers joined the count. We managed to safely count nearly 34,000 birds which is 11,500 more than last year, thanks in great part to over 10,000 Common Grackles. These grackles were observed on just a few routes, but those who saw them won’t soon forget the spectacle of birds massing together in loud, tight flocks at ground level and up to the treetops swirling like tornadoes. The overall species count was 78 which is the average for the life of this count. We again had to forego our traditional lunch in Ellanor C. Lawrence Park due to the pandemic. The birding conditions were favorable in that it stopped drizzling by about 7:40 AM and remained in the low 40s with light winds under an overcast sky.

Merlin, Tim Boyer/Audubon Photography Awards

Species that were observed in only one of our six sectors included the American Pipit, Merlin, Gadwall, American Woodcock, Brown Thrasher, Brown-headed Cowbird, Savannah Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, and Eastern Meadowlark. Several species were observed in only two sectors, including Red-breasted Nuthatch, Great Horned Owl, American Kestrel, Double-crested Cormorant, Herring Gull, Killdeer, American Black Duck, Bufflehead, Chipping Sparrow, and Gray Catbird.

Other highlights included all-time highs of White-throated Sparrow at 1,477, and Hermit Thrush where 45 were observed; easily surpassing the 30 recorded in 1998. The Brown Creeper count of 34 passes the previous record of 31 observed in 1996. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers at 55 tied the count of 2017. Eastern Bluebirds had their highest count of 508 since our all-time high of 510 in 2014. American Kestrels reached double-digits of 10 for the first time this century.

There were three count week observations which don’t register in the official species number but are notable. These were Tundra Swan, Pine Warbler, and Green-winged Teal. The teal was the rare Eurasian sub-species and seen on the Middlesex Drive Pond southwest of Dulles Airport in Loudoun County.

Full results for the count can be found here.

Thanks to all for safely participating in this event, and we look forward to a more traditional event with a few more birders on Sunday, December 18, 2022!

Here are some photos taken by participants in this year’s count. Click any image for a larger version.