Records
May Census                        Last updated 6/16/10

See records for    1919-1958 (pdf format) 1959-2010 (pdf
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Blue-winged Warbler, photo by Derrick Eidam

In 1919, local birder Allen Frost suggested to Maunsell Crosby that an annual May Census be conducted in Dutchess County. Crosby held the census each year until his death in 1931, after which Allen Frost continued until his own death in 1946. At this point, Dutchess County bird records were passed to Ralph T. Waterman, who then continued the census with his son Otis. Subsequently, the bird club that Mr. Waterman founded in 1958 assumed responsibility for Dutchess County records, including the May Census. Each year, usually on the weekend closest to May 15th, teams of birders fan out across the county to count all the birds they see. The results of the census, along with other records, can then be analyzed to identify population trends and provide evidence of the impact of environmental changes in the area.

Blue-winged Warbler
Photo by Derrick Eidam
Below is the compilation of the May 2010 Census for Dutchess County. For detailed data on earlier years, click on one of the links above.

Dutchess County May Bird Census - May 15, 2010

SPECIES
#
Found
2010
# of
Yrs Found
(1959-2010)
Avg.
per yr.
when
Found
Last
Year
Found
SPECIES
#
Found
2010
# of
Yrs Found
(1959-2010)
Avg.
per yr.
when
Found
Last
Year
Found
Snow Goose   5 1.6 2003   Eastern Kingbird 99 52 76.9 all
Brant   9 198.8 2009   White-eyed Vireo 2 24 1.9 2009
Canada Goose 914 52 351.8 all   Yellow-throated Vireo 22 52 25.8 all
Mute Swan 50 33 32.4 2009   Blue-headed Vireo 4 49 6.7 2009
Wood Duck 116 52 43.0 all   Warbling Vireo 190 52 51.7 all
American Wigeon   5 1.6 1991   Philadelphia Vireo 1 20 1.1 2006
American Black Duck 2 48 19.3 2006   Red-eyed Vireo 181 52 65.5 all
Mallard 277 52 129.1 all   Blue Jay 233 52 223.8 all
Blue-winged Teal   35 4.1 2007   American Crow 574 52 275.4 all
Northern Shoveler   3 1.0 2000   Fish Crow 12 42 8.8 2009
Northern Pintail   1 2.0 1997   Common Raven 17 19 7.6 2009
Green-winged Teal   18 2.6 2008   Horned Lark   35 5.5 2009
Canvasback   2 1.5 1976   Purple Martin   49 16.7 2009
Ring-necked Duck 2 5 2.4 1997   Tree Swallow 389 52 256.3 all
Greater Scaup   5 2.4 2006   N. Rough-winged Swallow 43 52 25.9 all
Lesser Scaup   3 1.0 1994   Bank Swallow 159 52 178.8 all
White-winged Scoter   2 7.5 2000   Cliff Swallow 20 33 9.3 2009
Common Goldeneye   1 2.0 1968   Barn Swallow 328 52 180.6 all
Hooded Merganser   12 1.3 2008   Black-capped Chickadee 171 52 127.9 all
Common Merganser 10 22 3.3 2009   Tufted Titmouse 176 52 77.0 all
Red-breasted Merganser   4 1.5 2008   Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 28 4.0 2009
Ruddy Duck   5 1.4 2007   White-breasted Nuthatch 52 52 37.9 all
Northern Bobwhite   30 4.0 2002   Brown Creeper 3 52 6.7 all
Ring-necked Pheasant 4 52 18.4 all   Carolina Wren 64 41 18.9 2009
Ruffed Grouse   49 9.5 2009   House Wren 111 52 73.9 all
Wild Turkey 60 28 40.9 2009   Winter Wren 4 47 4.6 2009
Red-throated Loon   2 3.0 1973   Sedge Wren   1 1.0 1980
Common Loon   20 2.0 2006   Marsh Wren 7 52 16.2 all
Pied-billed Grebe   23 2.1 2008   Golden-crowned Kinglet   23 2.1 2009
Horned Grebe   2 1.0 1981   Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 40 6.1 2009
Double-crested Cormorant 14 37 17.8 2009   Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 55 44 26.4 2009
American Bittern 1 38 2.9 2006   Eastern Bluebird 179 52 54.7 all
Least Bittern   23 1.6 2008   Veery 131 52 75.1 all
Great Blue Heron 68 51 30.0 2009   Gray-cheeked Thrush   23 2.0 2007
Great Egret   7 2.3 2009   Swainson's Thrush 5 51 8.0 2009
Snowy Egret   4 2.5 2008   Hermit Thrush 6 44 3.5 2009
Little Blue Heron   4 1.0 2008   Wood Thrush 200 52 133.2 all
Cattle Egret   3 1.7 2006   American Robin 872 52 410.2 all
Green Heron 5 51 10.5 2009   Gray Catbird 455 52 286.4 all
Black-crowned Night-Heron   15 1.5 2006   Northern Mockingbird 109 50 63.5 2009
Glossy Ibis   2 1.0 1984   Brown Thrasher 9 52 27.0 all
Black Vulture 22 16 6.6 2009   European Starling 447 52 485.4 all
Turkey Vulture 162 52 52.4 all   American Pipit 12 18 10.1 2006
Osprey 1 43 3.4 2009   Cedar Waxwing 42 50 44.1 2009
Bald Eagle 8 15 3.0 2009   Blue-winged Warbler 130 52 83.9 all
Northern Harrier 1 30 1.8 2007   Golden-winged Warbler   42 7.7 2005
Sharp-shinned Hawk 7 33 2.5 2009     Brewster's Warbler (hybrid) 1 16 1.1 2007
Cooper's Hawk 7 28 3.5 2009     Lawrence's Warbler (hybrid) 1 9 1.2 2009
Northern Goshawk   15 1.3 2007   Tennessee Warbler 3 50 16.8 2009
Red-shouldered Hawk 17 28 4.9 2009   Nashville Warbler 5 48 7.8 2009
Broad-winged Hawk 2 49 4.3 2009   Northern Parula 31 51 15.2 2009
Red-tailed Hawk 78 52 33.3 all   Yellow Warbler 295 52 192.1 all
Golden Eagle   2 1.0 1995   Chestnut-sided Warbler 33 52 51.6 all
American Kestrel 7 52 10.3 all   Magnolia Warbler 17 52 16.7 all
Merlin   4 1.0 2007   Cape May Warbler 2 42 4.1 2008
Peregrine Falcon   2 1.0 2008   Black-throated Blue Warbler 20 52 18.3 all
King Rail   2 1.5 1990   Yellow-rumped Warbler 28 52 88.8 all
Virginia Rail 3 50 4.1 2009   Black-throated Green Warbler 49 52 33.6 all
Sora 6 37 2.5 2008   Blackburnian Warbler 8 50 10.0 2009
Common Moorhen   29 2.8 2006   Yellow-throated Warbler   2 1.0 2006
American Coot   12 1.3 2007   Pine Warbler 8 24 5.0 2009
Black-bellied Plover   3 1.7 1996   Prairie Warbler 62 52 49.5 all
Semipalmated Plover   18 1.8 2008   Palm Warbler 1 14 1.4 2009
Killdeer 41 52 40.3 all   Bay-breasted Warbler   44 6.1 2008
Spotted Sandpiper 17 52 20.5 all   Blackpoll Warbler 11 46 9.1 2009
Solitary Sandpiper 25 52 17.7 all   Cerulean Warbler   43 4.2 2009
Greater Yellowlegs 5 49 7.7 2009   Black-and-white Warbler 68 52 51.5 all
Willet   1 1.0 1979   American Redstart 177 52 107.1 all
Lesser Yellowlegs 8 41 4.5 2009   Prothonotary Warbler   3 1.0 1972
Semipalmated Sandpiper 2 20 4.2 2009   Worm-eating Warbler 15 50 6.7 2009
Least Sandpiper 13 48 30.4 2009   Ovenbird 179 52 72.3 all
Pectoral Sandpiper   24 3.9 2006   Northern Waterthrush 5 49 7.3 2009
Dunlin   1 1.0 1986   Louisiana Waterthrush 27 52 14.4 all
Short-billed Dowitcher   2 8.0 1982   Kentucky Warbler   13 1.2 2004
Wilson's Snipe   38 3.2 2007   Connecticut Warbler   5 1.0 2003
American Woodcock 6 52 5.4 all   Mourning Warbler 4 8 1.5 2007
Wilson's Phalarope   1 1.0 1965   Common Yellowthroat 205 52 131.1 all
Red Phalarope   1 1.0 2006   Hooded Warbler 16 37 4.6 2009
Black-legged Kittiwake   1 2.0 1971   Wilson's Warbler 5 47 4.3 2009
Bonaparte's Gull   2 2.5 1996   Canada Warbler 3 51 9.4 2009
Laughing Gull   1 1.0 1963   Yellow-breasted Chat   10 1.7 1998
Ring-billed Gull 19 46 37.8 2009   Eastern Towhee 107 52 94.3 all
Herring Gull 8 52 32.9 all   American Tree Sparrow   6 2.2 2008
Great Black-backed Gull 6 45 9.3 2009   Chipping Sparrow 218 52 134.6 all
Black Tern   6 2.2 2005   Field Sparrow 63 52 46.0 all
Common Tern   2 1.5 1996   Vesper Sparrow   36 4.5 2009
Rock Pigeon 144 50 132.0 2009   Savannah Sparrow 10 52 15.1 all
Mourning Dove 299 52 184.3 all   Grasshopper Sparrow 1 26 3.0 2008
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 2 42 5.6 2009   Fox Sparrow   8 1.0 2006
Black-billed Cuckoo   46 5.8 2009   Song Sparrow 183 52 170.8 all
Barn Owl   3 1.3 1978   Lincoln's Sparrow   22 1.5 2007
Eastern Screech-Owl 1 36 1.5 2009   Swamp Sparrow 35 52 52.0 all
Great Horned Owl 1 49 3.0 2009   White-throated Sparrow 3 52 27.1 all
Barred Owl 17 50 4.9 2009   White-crowned Sparrow 2 51 13.4 2009
Long-eared Owl   1 1.0 2006   Dark-eyed Junco   37 2.6 2009
Common Nighthawk 1 36 7.1 2009   Summer Tanager   1 1.0 1988
Whip-poor-will 3 49 2.4 2009   Scarlet Tanager 101 52 64.7 all
Chimney Swift 104 52 82.0 all   Northern Cardinal 299 52 128.5 all
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 27 52 10.6 all   Rose-breasted Grosbeak 111 52 108.3 all
Belted Kingfisher 12 52 11.2 all   Blue Grosbeak   1 1.0 1998
Red-headed Woodpecker   15 1.3 2004   Indigo Bunting 49 50 16.2 2009
Red-bellied Woodpecker 119 37 56.2 2009   Bobolink 169 52 122.7 all
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 26 23 5.7 2009   Red-winged Blackbird 1063 49 1242.1 2009
Downy Woodpecker 56 52 51.6 all   Eastern Meadowlark 2 52 36.3 all
Hairy Woodpecker 15 52 17.3 all   Rusty Blackbird   23 3.8 2009
Northern Flicker 48 52 78.7 all   Common Grackle 372 52 446.6 all
Pileated Woodpecker 32 52 13.2 all   Brown-headed Cowbird 128 52 178.8 all
Olive-sided Flycatcher 2 24 1.3 2008   Orchard Oriole 14 41 4.5 2009
Eastern Wood-Pewee 52 50 14.1 2009   Baltimore Oriole 269 52 170.8 all
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher   11 1.2 1993   Purple Finch 2 52 21.7 all
Acadian Flycatcher   14 2.1 2009   House Finch 119 46 136.5 2009
Alder Flycatcher 1 12 1.8 2009   Red Crossbill   3 2.0 1984
Willow Flycatcher 11 35 3.2 2009   Pine Siskin   17 24.1 2009
Least Flycatcher 51 52 37.2 all   American Goldfinch 295 52 275.8 all
Eastern Phoebe 98 52 61.6 all   Evening Grosbeak   12 18.7 1987
Great Crested Flycatcher 101 52 53.6 all   House Sparrow 305 52 175.8 all
 
 
 
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
Total Birds
13931
Total Species
152
Number of Field Observers
58
Number of Groups 25
Date of Count
15
Feeder Watchers
11

Compiled by Bill Case, Barbara Butler, and Carena Pooth