Vigo County May Day Summary, 2013
The 2013 Vigo County Big May Bird Count: a record species total
The 45th Big May Day Bird Count conducted in Vigo County, on May 11, produced the highest
species total we have achieved: 173 species, topping the previous high of 170 species in 2008. Our
effort was typical of recent years: 30 observers in 15 field parties, plus 1 full time feeder-watcher. All
townships were covered, though some areas near the Wabash River were flooded and inaccessible. The
floodwaters, however, attracted the waterfowl and shorebird species which helped the count soar. Two
new species, Black Vulture and Willet, brought our 45-year total for this count to 235 species. Here I
review bird groups in taxonomic order to highlight the interesting results.
Waterfowl. 13 species of geese, swans, and ducks, our highest ever for this group in mid-May.
Lingering migrants included Bufflehead and American Wigeon (only the third record for each species),
Gadwall, Ring-necked Duck, and Ruddy Duck, as well as the more usual Blue-winged Teal and Northern
Shoveler.
Gallinaceous birds. Eleven Ring-necked Pheasants were recorded, more than usual. Wild Turkey and
Northern Bobwhite were found in modest numbers.
Grebe, Cormorant, Herons. A count of 124 Double-crested Cormorants was our second highest. The
Great Egret count of 25 was a record high. American Bittern and Cattle Egrets were good finds.
Diurnal Raptors. The 11 species exceeds by one our previous high for this group. The outstanding find
was 2 BLACK VULTURES at Duke Energy, by Marty Jones. Our counts of Turkey Vulture (170), Osprey
(3), and Bald Eagle (31) were record highs. The Bald Eagle count was especially noteworthy, the
previous high being 10. Steve Lima had a “flock” of 12 immatures at the Shephardsville floodwaters, Jim
Sullivan had 9 in Prairieton Township, and 7 other parties reported at least 1. A Peregrine Falcon at ISU
added to the diversity.
Black Vultures, Duke Energy Ponds – Marty Jones
Vigo County May Day Summary, 2013
Rails, Coots. We had less diversity than usual in this group: just 4 Sora and 49 American Coots.
Shorebirds. Our 15 species matched the previous high from 2006. A WILLET found by Bonness and
Brown along Highway 63 near the Federal Penitentiary was a first count record (photo Michael Brown).
Three other species appeared for only the second time in our count’s history --Black-necked Stilt
(Shepardsville floodpond), Ruddy Turnstone (Duke Energy), and Wilson’s Phalarope (southwest Vigo) –
and Black-bellied Plover for only the third time. Our count of Lesser Yellowlegs (107) was an all-time
high.
Vigo count’s 2nd record of Ruddy Turnstone (first since 1966), Duke Energy Ponds (M. Jones)
Vigo County May Day Summary, 2013
Spotted Sandpiper, a common migrant, at Duke Energy pond (Marty Jones photo).
Gulls and Terns. Our only gull species, surprisingly, was a lone Herring Gull at Duke Energy ponds,
rather than the more likely Ring-billed, and was only the second record for Herring. The same site also
produced Caspian and Forster’s Terns, while 18 Black Terns battled the wind over Shepardsville lake.
Vigo County May Day Summary, 2013
Caspian (above) & Forster’s Terns, Duke Energy Ponds – Marty Jones
Vigo County May Day Summary, 2013
Pigeon, Doves. The recently established Eurasian Collared-Doves of Terre Haute were tracked down at
Graham Grain by Jim Sullivan (photo below), and by Carissa Lovett at her home in south Farrington
Grove, where she was dropping off a baby Opossum.
Cuckoos. Two Black-billed Cuckoos, often missed in recent years, were found by Steve Lima.
Owls. Our only owl species was Barred (11 heard or seen).
Nightjars. Steve Lima had all 3 Eastern Whip-poor-wills at an old strip pit on Certain Road, as well as the
three Common Nighthawks.
Swift, Hummingbird, Kingfisher, Woodpeckers. The usual set of species was found.
Flycatchers. The 7 common species were found, but Acadian (5) and Willow (1) were scarcer than usual,
symptomatic of a migration in which species were a week or so behind typical peak dates.
Vireos. We missed the challenging one, Philadelphia.
Swallows. All six present and accounted for.
Parids. Three Red-breasted Nuthatches were found, for only the third time in the past ten years; two
were at the feeders of Jane Chestnut and Mary Beth Eberwein.
Wrens, Kinglets, Gnatcatcher. Lovett and Lunsford had the only Ruby-crowned Kinglet, which we rarely
miss. The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher total of 123 tied a previous count high.
Thrushes. We missed Veery (seen on 41 of 45 counts), almost missed Gray-cheeked (1 bird), and found
only 19 Swainson’s Thrushes (third lowest total of last 10 years). However, Jeff Schaffer’s Hermit Thrush
was a good find. Marty Jones found an Eastern Bluebird family in a WVAS nest box (photo below).
Vigo County May Day Summary, 2013
Mimids to Waxwing. Three American Pipits (Steve Lima) were a good find, as they mostly pass through
in April; this was only our fifth record. Cedar Waxwings were scarce (16), another late spring arrival that
was just beginning to show up on count day.
Warblers. The 28 species total was respectable. Rarer finds included Hooded, Mourning, Blue-winged,
Canada, and Cerulean. We missed two species seen most years, Bay-breasted and Blackburnian. We
established high counts for Northern Parula (53), Yellow-throated (31), Prothonotary (19), and Louisiana
Waterthrush (10). As usual, Common Yellowthroat led the way with 130 individuals.
Sparrows. Our 13 species was a good total (we normally have 12). Good finds included Vesper, Lark,
Henslow’s, and Lincoln’s. Three parties found a Henslow or two, which has become a challenge due to
loss of tall, mature grassland habitat in the county; we missed the species last year.
Cardinalids. Tanager, cardinal, grosbeak, and bunting numbers were typical. The Dickcissel count of
172 exceeded all but last year’s total of 259.
Icterids. The Bobolink total of 92 was the highest since 2003. Other species were in typical numbers.
Fringillids. Pine Siskins (8) were recorded for the first time since 1998, at the homes of Mary Beth
Eberwein and Marty Jones. A large movement of this species was noted in northern Indiana.
Our new record of 173 species seems due mainly to high species counts of ducks and shorebirds,
for which we can thank this spring’s rain and floodwaters, as well as our adventurous observers. Duke
Energy Ponds came through again with several rarities. Even so, we can point to some misses that
suggest 180 is a possibility for the Vigo count.
Watch future issues of Indiana Audubon Quarterly to see how our total compares to others in
the state! Thanks to all participants for their efforts in the field and good record-keeping, and to
photographers Marty Jones, Mike Brown, and Jim Sullivan for capturing some of the day’s great finds.
Finally, I thank co-compiler Dan Weber for his help.
-- Peter Scott, co-compiler