2003 Christmas Bird Count
We had a great time doing the Christmas bird count for the Koshkonong region. Our assignment was the southwest area of the lake from the shore to the borders of Milton. We drove about 50 miles (4 hours) and walked 2 miles (3 hours). We counted from 8:30 am until 4:30 pm with about 1 hour off for lunch.
We saw 31 species and a total of 1577 individuals. We also noted one cat hunting in a field. (Because cats cause so much mortality of birds, especially during nesting season, the Christmas bird count plans to start monitoring the number of cats.)
1 great-blue heron
920 Canada goose
12 gadwall
322 mallard
6 common goldeneye
3 bald eagle
1 northern harrier
8 red-tailed hawk
2 American kestrel
6 wild turkey
6 herring gull
10 rock pigeon
18 mourning dove
1 great horned owl
1 belted kingfisher
2 red-bellied woodpecker
3 downy woodpecker
1 hairy woodpecker
1 northern shrike
5 blue jay
24 American crow
12 black-capped chickadee
4 white-breasted nuthatch
1 European starling
35 cedar waxwing
19 American tree sparrow
23 dark-eyed junco
8 northern cardinal
9 house finch
15 American goldfinch
98 house sparrow
1 cat