2004 Whitewater Indiana Christmas Bird count


The Whitewater Christmas Count was held on 19 December 2004, a cold and windy day.  Five participants in three parties could survey only the high points of the area that covers Brookville Lake from the Mounds State Recreation Area north to Brownsville including Fairfield and Dunlapsville Causeways and Whitewater State Park.  We gathered at first light at the Dunlapsville Ramp where we soon made out the ghostly shapes of a flock of 195 Sandhill Cranes at their night roost on the mud flats.

We split up and moved to our different areas.  Debra Bowles and Bill Heck covered Whitewater State Park where they had a variety of good birds including Ring-necked Ducks, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Barred Owl (fantastic views in broad daylight), and Common Grackles.  Ron Williams and Jim Seaney checked the Fairfield Causeway and Mounds State Recreation Area where they found Black Vultures, Canvasback, and a flock of 107 Wild Turkey (an all-time high count for the CBC)!  Bill Buskirk scoped the lake from the Sagamore Resort area and came up with Greater Scaup and 2 Surf Scoters (both first ever records for the CBC circle).  He also had 2 White-winged Scoters, a second all-time record for that species on the Whitewater Count.

Two groups stayed out after lunch and pulled in a few more species for the day's total; but the harsh weather, with gusting, sub-freezing winds to 25 mph, brought a relatively early finish to this year's count.  In all we had 67 species, above the counts 37-year average of 62, but well off its all-time high of 82 species.