Annual Yalakom Bird Count
January 2, 2008
by Toby Mueller
A total of 8 adults and two kids went out in 4 parties, someone was out and about from 8:15 to 4pm, pretty much all day. We covered approximately 6km walking and 21km driving. One person did feeder observations. We covered well the pine/bunchgrass zone and the canyon riparian, but only barely brushed the higher fir habitat, never mind any alpine excursions. People went from 40km Yalakom Rd, to the Terhgazi Dam, walked down the Horseshoe and walked the lower part of Fred Creek. The going was pretty rough this year, but maybe next year some people could get up high, and also follow trails along the creek riparian zones. We saw an unidentified hawk along the Bridge River, in the same place we saw a similar unidentified hawk last year. I'm hoping to go back and get a positive ID. For posterity I'll record here that the temperature was between -1C and 3C, it snowed hard in the morning, and then cleared to a partly cloudy, fairly still day. There was deep snow on the ground, between 30-60cm, a weak crust with powder underneath. Generally in my yard observations I am noticing a lot less birds this winter, and that holds true for this years count compaired to 2006. It is a very different winter this year. The Golden Eagle was seen by two people on different occasions feeding at a newborn calf which had died of exposure. Although we did not see a Golden last year they are usually seen every winter.
2 Mallard
35 Common Goldeneye
17 Common Merganser
*5 Chukar*
1 Bald Eagle
1 Golden Eagle
2 Ruffed Grouse
3 Belted Kingfisher
2 Hairy Woodpecker
3 Northern Flicker
*1 Pileated Woodpecker*
3 American Dipper
*1 Winter Wren*
4 Townsend's Solitaire
*1 American Robin*
2 Blackcapped Chickadee
36 Mountain Chickadee
12 Pygmy Nuthatch
11 Red Breasted Nuthatch
*2 White Breasted Nuthatch*
10 Stellar's Jay
4 Black-billed Magpie
12 Clark's Nutcracker
*12 American Crow*
9 Common Raven
3 European Starling
*10 Pine Grosbeak*
24 Common Redpoll
2 Spotted Towhee
1 White Crowned Sparrow
4 Dark Eyed Junco
* entries with a asterix were observed during count week only.