Topeka Audubon Society - Christmas Bird Count

HOME

The annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a census of birds conducted across three continents. The all-volunteer effort, which is scheduled between mid-December and early January, takes a snapshot of bird populations to monitor their status and distribution across the Western Hemisphere.  It was started in 1900 by Frank Chapman, an officer in a fledgling organization called The Audubon Society, as an alternative to a holiday hunting tradition whose goal was to shoot the greatest number of birds.

The first known published Topeka Christmas Bird Count was done on December 22, 1919.  The count was conducted by two TAS members who recorded 31 species.  Since then, documented records of a Christmas Bird Count exist for Topeka for every year, except the years between 1923 through 1946. 

Over the count years, the Topeka CBC has recorded a grand total 141 species.

Topeka Christmas Bird Count summary and averages:

Species Name

10-year

Average

25-year Average

50-year Average

2007

2006

2005

Comments

 Greater White-fronted Goose

2

1

<1

20

-

-

 

 Snow Goose

450

610

407

519

2,500

2

 

 Snow Goose (blue form)

12

8

24

19

-

-

 

 Ross’s Goose

<1

-

-

2

-

1

 

 Cackling Goose

10

-

-

78

15

2

 

 Canada Goose

8,520

3,914

2,033

17,191

6,465

12,774

 Rapid increase seen in population

 Trumpeter Swan

1

<1

<1

-

-

1

 

 Wood Duck

1

1

<1

-

-

-

 

 Gadwall

129

79

41

29

29

70

 

 American Wigeon

2

2

1

4

2

-

 

 American Black Duck

<1

-

<1

-

-

-

 

 Mallard

1,361

1,133

958

2,098

1,844

1,040

 

 Cinnamon Teal

-

<1

<1

-

-

-

 

 Blue-winged Teal

2

1

<1

-

-

-

 

 Northern Shoveler

22

11

5

8

13

1

 

 Northern Pintail

1

1

1

2

-

2

National Rate of Decline: 77% in 40 yrs

 Green-winged Teal

21

9

5

2

25

-

 

 Canvasback

1

1

1

-

5

-

 

 Redhead

4

2

3

3

-

1

 

 Ring-necked Duck

20

33

17

19

56

15

 

 Greater Scaup

-

-

<1

-

-

-

National Rate of Decline: 75% in 40 yrs

 Lesser Scaup

17

12

8

9

65

6

 

 Long-tailed Duck

-

<1

<1

-

-

-

 

 Bufflehead

18

15

8

-

64

-

 

 Common Goldeneye

104

75

40

54

87

108

 

 Hooded Merganser 

18

8

5

30

24

30

 

 Common Merganser

6

26

48

3

8

24

 

 Red-breasted Merganser

-

<1

<1

-

-

-

 

 Common Loon

-

-

<1

-

-

-

 Last seen in the 1967 Count

 Ruddy Duck

4

2

1

-

2

-

 

 Ring-necked Pheasant

<1

3

1

-

-

-

 

 Greater Prairie Chicken

-

-

1

-

-

-

 

 Wild Turkey

59

27

14

74

41

42

 

 Northern Bobwhite

21

67

59

4

6

6

National Rate of Decline: 82% in 40 yrs

 Pied-billed Grebe

10

5

3

-

23

8

 

 Western Grebe

-

<1

<1

-

-

-

 

 Eared Grebe

1

<1

<1

-

-

-

 

 Horned Grebe

<1

<1

-

-

-

-

 

 Double-crested Cormorant

<1

1

<1

-

-

-

 

 American White Pelican

<1

<1

<1

-

-

1

 

 Great Blue Heron (Blue form)

8

8

4

4

23

2

 

 Green Heron

-

-

<1

-

-

-

 

 Turkey Vulture

<1

<1

<1

-

1

-

 

 Bald Eagle

10

8

4

7

12

6

 

 Northern Harrier

6

6

7

17

14

3