Christmas Bird Count
December 15, 2023

The 39th annual Cheboygan Christmas Bird Count, sponsored by the Straits Area Audubon Society, was conducted on Dec. 17, 2023 by volunteer bird watchers. Counting occurred from 8am to 5 pm with three groups listening for Owls calling before sunrise. It was cloudy to mostly cloudy with light rain starting in the afternoon. The temperature was 38 at the start rising to 46 degrees in the afternoon. The winds were light from the south all day, with no snow on the ground; making this a really nice day for the CBC. The small ponds were frozen; Lake Huron, Mullet Lake and most of the Cheboygan River and the Black River were open.

The count covers a circle 7.5 miles in radius, centered at the junction of M-33 & old 27. There were 15 field counters, with the circle divided into 5 areas, and 2 to 4 people counting in each area. Each group walked or drove around their assigned area to count all the birds they could find; with an additional 5 people counting the birds at their bird feeder. Participating in the count were: Steve Baker, Eowyn Bates, Jerry & Michelle Borowicz, Jim & John Bricker, Bert Ebbers, Patricia Ester, Dale Giddings, Mike & Chris Grant, Jack & Oliver Kew, Karen Martin, Katie Parker, Ed Pike, Bruce Seeger, Patti Spinella, Pat Esther-Schmidt and Janet Trudeau.

Fifty species of birds were counted with a total of 4,834 birds. This is above average for the count (average number of species recorded is 48 with 3,516 individual birds). The lack of snow on the ground allowed the birds to be spread out, not concentrated around bird feeders. The warmer than average temperatures meant that there was more open water than most winters. This allowed some species such as Common Mergansers to be found on Mullet Lake in very large numbers. Two species that have expanded their range north since the count started are: Tufted Titmouse which first appeared in 2002 and has been recorded each year since, and Red-bellied Woodpecker which first appeared in 2006 and has been counted each year since. Trumpeter Swan numbers in this area continue to increase since their reintroduction at Seny National Wildlife Refuge a number of years ago. The first year Trumpeter Swans were counted on the Cheboygan River was 2012 with 5 counted; this year’s total of 40 being the most counted to date. While Mute Swan (an introduced species) numbers have continued to decline, probably due to the competition for feeding and nesting areas, with the Trumpeter Swan.

Probably due to the warmer than average temperatures most species were seen in high than average numbers. The only winter finches (which are northern irruptive species, only moving south some years) were Pine Siskin and White-winged Crossbill. Species that usually head south, but are still in the area include a single Pied-billed Grebe, and 35 American Robins a record high count.

Thanks to all the people who participated to make this a successful count.

Ed Pike, count compiler