Birding Brevard: Cocoa CBC Tallies 162 Species

By Dave Freeland

An overcast day December 16 brought out 50 enthusiastic birders for the 56th annual Cocoa Christmas Bird Count, one of the country’s most historic and successful CBCs. We tallied 162 species plus four exotics and added two count-week-only species for a robust 168 total “ticks.”

Feature bird was a Cocoa CBC first-ever Pacific Loon spotted over the Banana River by sharp-eyed expert Carl Goodrich of Ed Slaney’s team. The bird was seen again later in the day and appeared twice in two days following the count. Also enlivening the day were our second-ever Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, near the intersection of Tucker Lane and Providence Road in West Cocoa, and our third-ever Red-throated Loon, in the Indian River as seen from Osteen Park, Merritt Island.

As good as the day was, as usual some old friends were sorely missed. Counters failed to come up with a Semipalmated Plover for only the second time in 56 years and missed Northern Pintail and Short-billed Dowitcher for only the third timeeach. American Crow was a no-show for the fourth year ever as were Western Sandpiper, Clapper Rail and Barn Owl for only the fifth time in the count’s storied history.

At day’s end, Kathy Frederick put aside her binoculars and conjured up a top-notch potluck dinner that satisfied the burgeoning appetites of the counters. Thanks very much, from me and co-compiler Dee Fairbanks Simpson, to Kathy and her team of Susan Bird, Pat Meyer and Mary Slaney for their hard work getting the dinner in shape. Thanks, too, go to those who contributed special dishes from their recipe files to make the dinner complete.

Following are the teams and their day totals (total species in parentheses), including birds seen only by that team on the count. Team leader is listed first:

• Team 1 -- Bill Meyer, Madeline Klinko, Ken LaBorde, Keith Winsten (75 species) -- Mute Swan (4), Long-billed Dowitcher (2), Eastern Meadowlark (6).
• Team 2 -- Roy Book, Kenn Allie, Brian Archer, Linda Archer, Elizabeth Bishop, Dave Freeland (91) -- Wood Duck, White-winged Dove (34), Northern Parula.
• Team 3A -- Ned Steel, Jacquie Scislaw, Jim Stahl (78) -- Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.
• Team 3B -- David Simpson, Jim Eager, Dee Fairbanks Simpson (99) -- Canada Goose (6), Least Bittern, Tufted Titmouse (2), American Redstart, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow.
• Team 4 -- Jason Frederick, Andy Bankert, Kathy Frederick, Sarah Linney, Jim Meyer (88) -- American Woodcock.
• Team 5 -- Judy Dryja, Courtney Carlson, Mary Nicolay, Dick Novier (96) -- Gadwall (6), Broad-winged Hawk.
• Team 6 -- Ed Slaney, Emily Bever, Carl Goodrich (86) -- Red-throated Loon, Pacific Loon.
• Team 7A -- Phyllis Mansfield, Richard Santangelo (82) -- Dunlin (2).
• Team 7B -- Bob Paxson, Ralph Bird (81) -- Green-winged Teal, Virginia Rail, Whip-poor-will, Baltimore Oriole.
• Team 7C -- Charlie Venuto, Barbara Venuto (44) -- Eastern Wood-Pewee.
• Team 8A -- Doug Stuckey, Betty Eichhorn, Karl Eichhorn, Sheryl Gracewski, Margie Hughes, Tom Nash, Betsey Wood, Joe Wood (85) -- Canvasback, Redhead (25), Greater Scaup (28).
• Team 8B -- Howard Mansfield (43).
• Team 9A -- Dan Click, Murray Gardler, Roy Halpin, Brad Martin (76) -- Peregrine Falcon.
• Team 9B -- Al Brayton, Teresa Fiorillo, Bill Nunn (51) -- Vesper Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow.

Mark your calendars now for December 15, 2007, when we’ll do it all over again. (We keep trying to get it right!)