Big Sit 2011 results

 The Big Sit crew

Below is the Big Sit 2011 species list from Coastal Center Director Frank Gallo who wishes to thank everyone for their contributions. The weather was tough with it being such a hot (record high of 85F!) day, but the team was able to add three new species to the historic total from the count circle in Broad-winged Hawk, Yellow Warbler, and Black-and-white Warbler. 88 species were tallied plus 1 scoter species.

Milford Point marsh

Black-capped Chickadee - Frank says a flock of 21 Tufted Titmice and a Chickadee kept flying out to the end of Smith's Point, returning 20-30 minutes later to vanish off towards the Coastal Center only to return to try again an hour later

Male Northern Harrier over marsh

Thanks to observers Jim and Patrick Dugan, Tina Green, and Frank Mantlik, who were also joined for a short while by Denise Jernigan and Sarah Zagorski. Here is the full species list, seen from 4:20 a.m. to 7 p.m. on October 9th.

1. Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  
2. Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  
3. Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  
4. American Wigeon (Anas americana)  
5. American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)  
6. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  
7. Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)  
8. Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  
9. scoter sp. (Melanitta sp.)  
10. Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) 
11. Common Loon (Gavia immer)  
12. Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) 
13. Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) 
14. American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) 
15. Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 
16. Great Egret (Ardea alba)  
17. Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)  
18. Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)  
19. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)  
20. Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  
21. Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
22. Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
23. Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)  
24. Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)  
25. Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)  
26. Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus)  
27. Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
28. American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
29. Merlin (Falco columbarius).
30. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
31. Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris)
32. Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) 
33. American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica)s
34. Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)  
35. American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus)  
36. Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca).
37. Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) 
38. Red Knot (Calidris canutus) 
39. Sanderling (Calidris alba) 
40. Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) 
41. White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis)
42. Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) 
43. Dunlin (Calidris alpina) 
44. Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)
45. Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  
46. Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  
47. Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)  
48. Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri) 
49. Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
50. Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  
51. Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus)
52. Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) 
53. Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)
54. Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) 
55. Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 
56. Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)
57. Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 
58. American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 
59. Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 
60. Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 
61. Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 
62. Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
63. Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)  
64. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) 
65. Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus)  
66. American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  
67. Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)   
68. European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  
69. American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)    
70. Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) 
71. Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)  
72. Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  
73. Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum) 
74. Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)  
75. Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)  
76. Nelson's Sparrow (Ammodramus nelsoni)  
77. Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus)  
78. Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 
79. Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)   
80. White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  
81. White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)   
82. Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  
83. Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  
84. Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 
85. Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 
86. Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 
87. House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) 
88. American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  
89. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)  

Scott Kruitbosch

Conservation Technician