The 123rd Christmas Bird Count in Michigan

By John L. Trapp
Published January 18, 2024

This summary is dedicated to the memories of former Christmas Bird Count (CBC) regional editor (1945-2022) and long-time compilers (1949-2022; Sturgeon Point), and (1952-2022; Huron County and Tuscola U.F.A.), and (1950-2022; Grand Rapids). Michigan field ornithologists owe a big debt of gratitude to each of these individuals.

For the third year in a row, Michigan participants in the 123rd (2022-2023) CBC experienced relatively mild winter weather throughout the period of the count. The impact of the weather on the birds and the ability of observers to detect the birds present is beyond my ability to divine. What is known, however, is that more individuals (642,599 vs 554,817) of fewer species (146 vs 158) were seen this year than last and that new, rare, or occasional species made up a smaller percentage of the species total (6.8% vs 15.2%). The 71 circles sampled this year had a 94.7% similarity with last year’s 75; the regional distribution of counts remains little changed from previous years, with 12 in the Upper Peninsula (UP), 24 in the Northern Lower Peninsula (NLP), and 36 in the Southern Lower Peninsula (SLP). Highlights included two new species (Southern Lapwing—new to North America and Lark Sparrow—new to Michigan), five rarities (Ross’s Goose, American White Pelican, Purple Sandpiper, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Lincoln’s Sparrow), and three species only occasionally seen on Michigan CBCs (Blue-winged Teal, American Pipit, Eastern Meadowlark). Read on to learn additional exciting details about the results of the 123rd CBC in Michigan. Enjoy!

Michigan’s Early-Winter Avifauna: In the decade prior to the 123rd CBC, 139 species were reported on Michigan CBCs in seven or more years; these “expected” or “regular” species are deemed the core of Michigan’s early-winter avifauna. Nine species seen in five or six of the previous 10 years are considered “borderline” or “occasional” members of the early-winter avifauna. Forty-eight species documented in 1-4 of the previous 10 years are “rare” or “extremely rare” and are not to be expected with any degree of probability in any given year.

Two New Species (reported on a Michigan CBC for the first time):

  • Southern Lapwing – one at Oscoda (NLP) on 12/21; a bird present at that locality since late June 2023 and viewed and photographed (last on 12/22) by multitudes is a first summer, fall, winter and CBC record for Michigan, the United States, and North America. This occurrence is currently under review by the Michigan Bird Records Committee.
  • Lark Sparrow – one photographed at Marquette (UP) on 12/17 is the second (and latest) December record for Michigan in the eBird database, the previous record also being in the UP.

Five Rarely Seen Species (reported in fewer than 5 of the previous 10 years):

  • Ross’s Goose – 1 at Gobles (SLP) – yearly reports in the previous 10, 25, and 50 years: 3, 6, 6
  • American White Pelican – 12 at Midland (NLP) and 9 at Monroe (SLP) – 1, 2, 2
  • Purple Sandpiper – 1 at Manistee (NLP), plus count week (cw) at Ludington (NLP) – 3, 14, 21
  • American Three-toed Woodpecker – 1 at Houghton County (UP) – 0, 1, 3
  • Lincoln’s Sparrow – 1 at Western Macomb County (SLP) – 3, 14, 21

Three Occasionally Seen Species (reported in 5 or 6 of the previous 10 years):

  • Blue-winged Teal – 5 at four circles: (SLP—Battle Creek 2, Kalamazoo 1, Port Huron 1, Waterloo State Recreation Area 1) – yearly reports in the previous 10, 25, and 50 years: 5, 12, 28
  • American Pipit – 4 at Rockwood (SLP), plus cw at Tittabawassee Valley (NLP) – 5, 10, 18
  • Eastern Meadowlark – 4 at two circles: (SLP—Rockwood 3, Clinton 1) – 6, 21,46

Three Count Week Species (seen only during count week):

  • Harlequin Duck – at Holland (SLP) – yearly reports in the previous 10, 25, and 50 years: 6, 14, 25
  • Great Gray Owl – at Neebish Island-Dunbar (UP) – 0, 3, 3
  • Black-backed Woodpecker – at Houghton County (UP) – 3, 15, 22

Four Expected Species Missed (reported in 7 or more of the previous 10 years but not this year):

  • Surf Scoter – yearly reports in the previous 10, 25, and 50 years: 10, 22, 31
  • Barrow’s Goldeneye - 7, 9, 14
  • Virginia Rail – 9, 13, 29
  • Eastern Phoebe – 7, 13, 20

Thirty-three Expected Species Had Geographically Limited Ranges (reported at 7 or fewer of the 71 circles):

  • Snow Goose – 16 at 7 circles (NLP—Oceana 5, Manistee 2, Bay City 1; SLP—Muskegon Wastewater 3, East Lansing 2, Huron County 2, Anchor Bay 1, plus cw at Waterloo State Recreation Area) – 10, 25, 50
  • White-winged Scoter – 23 at 7 circles (UP—Marquette 2; NLP—Ludington 10, Antrim-Old Mission 4, Alpena 2, Beulah 2, Higgins Lake-Houghton Lake 1; SLP—Port Huron 2, plus cw at Holland & Waterloo State Recreation Area) – 10, 24, 49
  • Common Loon – 13 at 7 circles (NLP—Beulah 2, Lake Leelanau 1, Manistee 1, plus cw at Ludington; SLP—Coloma 3, Port Huron 3, Cass County 2, Monroe 1, plus cw at Anchor Bay) – 10, 25, 49
  • Iceland Gull – 14 at 7 circles (UP—Little Bay de Noc 3, Rudyard 2; NLP—Alpena 1, plus cw at Midland; SLP—Rockwood 3, Sanilac 3, New Buffalo 1, Port Huron 1) – 9, 20, 39
  • Peregrine Falcon – 11 at 7 circles (NLP—Tawas 1; SLP—Detroit River 2, East Lansing 2, Kalamazoo 2, Port Huron 2, Ann Arbor 1, Rockwood 1) – 10, 25, 39
  • Field Sparrow – 8 at 7 circles (NLP—Midland 2, Tittabawassee Valley 1; SLP—Albion 1, Ann Arbor 1, Hartland 1, Sanilac 1, Western Macomb County 1) – 10, 25, 50
  • Red-necked Grebe – 16 at 6 circles (UP—Marquette 2, Eagle Harbor 1; NLP—Lake Leelanau 7, Beulah 4, Grayling 1, Petoskey 1) – 10, 25, 36
  • Gray Catbird – 7 at 6 circles (UP—Au Train 1; SLP—Ann Arbor 2, Anchor Bay 1, East Lansing 1, Pontiac 1, Sanilac 1) – 10, 24, 45
  • Cackling Goose – 12 at 5 circles (SLP—East Lansing 5, Anchor Bay 3, Western Macomb County 2, Allegan State Game Area 1, Kalamazoo 1, plus cw at Albion, Coloma, and Gobles) – 10, 18, 18
  • Turkey Vulture – 17 at 5 circles (NLP—Manistee 1, Petoskey 1; SLP—Pontiac 9, Battle Creek 5, Rockwood 1) – 10, 24, 33
  • Short-eared Owl – 6 at 5 circles (NLP—Oceana 1; SLP—Waterloo State Recreation Area 2, Anchor Bay 1, Clinton 1, Sanilac 1) – 10, 23, 47
  • Yellow-rumped Warbler – 7 at 5 circles (UP—Manistique 1; NLP—Tawas 1; SLP—Ann Arbor 2, Clinton 2, Hudsonville 1) – 10, 25, 50
  • Rusty Blackbird – 55 at 5 circles (NLP—Bay City 50; SLP—Ann Arbor 2, Clinton 1, Muskegon Wastewater 1, Rockwood 1) – 10, 25, 49
  • Black Scoter – 12 at 4 circles (NLP—Ludington 3; SLP—Holland 6, Berrien Springs 2, Coloma 1) – 10, 23, 33
  • Sharp-tailed Grouse – 130 at 4 circles (UP—Neebish Island-Dunbar 55, Rudyard 43, Les Cheneaux 30; UP/NLP—Mackinac Straits 2) – 10, 16, 21
  • Golden Eagle – 4 at 4 circles (Allegan State Game Area 1, Battle Creek 1, Dowagiac 1, Lapeer County 1) – 9, 20, 32
  • Wilson’s Snipe – 5 at 4 circles (NLP—Lake Leelanau 1, Petoskey 1; SLP—Berrien Springs 2, Genesee County 1, plus cw at Monroe) – 7, 21, 45
  • Eastern Towhee – 4 at 4 circles (SLP—Allegan State Game Area 1, Detroit River 1, New Buffalo 1, Port Huron 1) – 10, 25, 50
  • Red-throated Loon – 20 at 3 circles (SLP—Berrien Springs 11, New Buffalo 8, Holland 1) – 10, 23, 28
  • Black-crowned Night-Heron – 43 at 3 circles (NLP—Bay City 3; SLP—Detroit River 23, Monroe 17) – 9, 22, 45
  • Snowy Owl – 7 at 3 circles (UP—Rudyard 5, Manistique 1; NLP—Bay City 1) – 10, 23, 47
  • Northern Mockingbird – 3 at 3 circles (UP—Rudyard 1; SLP—Kalamazoo 1, Waterloo State Recreation Area 1) – 10, 25, 50
  • Lapland Longspur – 28 at 3 circles (SLP—Waterloo State Recreation Area 15, Sanilac 11, Dowagiac 2) – 10, 24, 48
  • Chipping Sparrow – 3 at 3 circles (NLP—Ludington 1; SLP—Monroe 1, Rockwood 1) – 10, 18, 32
  • Red Crossbill – 20 at 3 circles (UP—Au Train 15, Marquette 1; NLP—Grayling 4) – 9, 23, 43
  • Greater White-fronted Goose – 3 at 2 circles (SLP—Niles 2, Detroit River 1) – yearly reports in the previous 10, 25, and 50 years: 7, 14, 16
  • Great Egret – 16 at 2 circles (NLP—Bay City 4; SLP—Monroe 12) – 8, 16, 18
  • Long-eared Owl – 4 at 2 circles (SLP—Western Macomb County 3, Coloma 1, plus cw at Rockwood) – 9, 22, 46
  • Eastern Meadowlark – 4 at 2 circles (SLP—Rockwood 3, Clinton 1)
  • Northern Goshawk – 1 at 1 circle (NLP—Lake Leelanau 1) – 10, 25, 50
  • Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 1 at 1 circle (NLP—Grayling 1) – 10, 23, 48
  • Brown Thrasher – 1 at 1 circle (UP—Les Cheneaux 1) – 8, 20, 42
  • Common Yellowthroat – 1 at 1 circle (UP—Marquette 1) – 9, 16, 35
  • White-winged Crossbill – 1 at 1 circle (NLP—Lake Leelanau 1) – 9, 23, 44

Ten Species Had Record-High Counts (with comparisons to previous highs):

  • Trumpeter Swan – 627 (563 on 122nd CBC)
  • Redhead – 48,834 (22,895 on 120th)
  • Hooded Merganser – 3987 (2135 on 122nd)
  • Wild Turkey – 6266 – (5307 on 111th)
  • Double-crested Cormorant – 1309 (756 on 117th)
  • Great Egret – 16 (15 on 109th)
  • Bald Eagle – 1187 (1012 on 122nd)
  • Sandhill Crane – 10,334 (8729 on 121st)
  • Iceland Gull – 14 (12 on 118th, 120th, and 122nd)
  • Glaucous Gull – 64 (63 on 120th)

The Fourteen Most Abundant Species (minimum of 10,000 individuals; for context, the median number of individuals per species was 155):

  • European Starling – 85,296 at 68 circles (max of 15,150 at Battle Creek)
  • Canada Goose – 83,486 at 60 circles (max of 6428 at Allegan State Game Area)
  • Redhead – 48,857 at 30 circles (max of 28,196 at Rockwood)
  • Canvasback – 38,493 at 12 circles (max of 38,002 at Rockwood)
  • Mallard – 33,160 at 67 circles (max of 4377 at Bay City)
  • American Crow – 30,267 at 71 circles (max of 8500 at Ann Arbor)
  • Herring Gull – 20,579 at 53 circles (max of 2463 at Sanilac)
  • Common Goldeneye – 19,338 at 57 circles (max of 2429 at Holland)
  • Mourning Dove – 18,921 at 70 circles (max of 1339 at Western Macomb County)
  • House Sparrow – 18,798 at 66 circles (max of 1640 at Anchor Bay)
  • Ring-billed Gull – 18,072 at 49 circles (max of 6125 at Monroe)
  • Dark-eyed Junco – 16,514 at 65 circles (max of 969 at Western Macomb County)
  • Black-capped Chickadee – 16,406 at 71 circles (max of 952 at Tittabawassee Valley)
  • Rock Pigeon – 16,050 at 68 circles (max of 1074 at Ann Arbor)
  • Sandhill Crane – 10,334 at 26 circles (max of 2373 at Dowagiac)

The Nineteen Most Widely Distributed Species (minimum of 90% frequency, or 64 circles; for context, the median frequency was 23%, or 18 circles)

  • Downy Woodpecker (100%) – 3485 individuals at 71 circles (max of 293 at Ann Arbor)
  • Hairy Woodpecker (100%) – 1131 at 71 circles (max of 72 at Ann Arbor)
  • Blue Jay (100%) – 8409 at 71 circles (max of 483 at Grand Rapids)
  • American Crow (100%) – 30,267 at 71 circles (max of 8500 at Ann Arbor)
  • Black-capped Chickadee (100%) – 16,406 at 71 circles (max of 952 at Tittabawassee Valley)
  • White-breasted Nuthatch (100%) – 4277 at 71 circles (max of 370 at Ann Arbor)
  • Mourning Dove (99%) – 18,921 at 70 circles (max of 1339 at Western Macomb County)
  • Northern Cardinal (99%) – 7556 at 70 circles (max of 500 at Ann Arbor)
  • American Goldfinch (99%) – 9242 at 70 circles (max of 471 at Ann Arbor)
  • Red-bellied Woodpecker (97%) – 2440 at 69 circles (max of 210 at Ann Arbor)
  • Bald Eagle (96%) – 1187 at 68 circles (max of 302 at Monroe)
  • Rock Pigeon (96%) – 16,050 at 68 circles (max of 1074 at Ann Arbor)
  • Pileated Woodpecker (96%) – 502 at 68 circles (max of 22 at Grand Rapids)
  • European Starling (96%) – 85,296 at 68 circles (max of 1,150 at Ann Arbor)
  • Mallard (94%) – 33,160 at 67 circles (max of 4377 at Bay City)
  • Wild Turkey (93%) – 6266 at 66 circles (max of 576 at Tittabawassee Valley)
  • House Sparrow (93%) – 18,798 at 66 circles (max of 1640 at Anchor Bay)
  • Red-breasted Nuthatch (92%) – 869 at 65 circles (max of 49 at Au Train)
  • Dark-eyed Junco (92%) – 16,514 at 65 circles (max of 969 at Western Macomb County)

Eighty-seven Species Had Numerical Outliers (outliers are counts that are statistically larger than other observations of a species seen at 11 or more circles; medians are shown for context):

  • Canada Goose (median=1164) – 1 outlier—Allegan State Game Area 6428 [n=60 circles]
  • Mute Swan (25) – 4 outliers: Anchor Bay 520, Rockwood 416, Detroit River 279, Holland 174 [n=44]
  • Trumpeter Swan (12) – 2 outliers—Battle Creek 72, Kalamazoo 51 [n=40]
  • Tundra Swan (8) – 3 outliers—Rockwood 1261, Huron County 316, Anchor Bay 240 [n=22]
  • Wood Duck (2) – 1 outlier—Anchor Bay 4 [n=13]
  • Gadwall (7) – 4 outliers—Monroe 798, Rockwood 247, Kalamazoo 123, Battle Creek 99 [n=27]
  • American Black Duck (6.5) – 8 outliers—Bay City 221, Rockwood 185, Monroe 68, Anchor Bay 58, Midland 28, Antrim-Old Mission 27, Ludington 27, Ann Arbor 23 [n=54]
  • Mallard (297) – 3 outliers—Bay City 4377, Rockwood 3983, Anchor Bay 1540 [n=67]
  • Northern Pintail (1) – 1 outlier—Anchor Bay 73 [n=12]
  • Green-winged Teal (3) – 1 outlier—Monroe 297 [n=14]
  • Canvasback (4) – 2 outliers—Rockwood 38,002, Detroit River 442 [n=12]
  • Redhead (14) – 5 outliers—Rockwood 28,196, Anchor Bay 8150, Mackinac Straits 7000, Traverse City 2004, Tawas 1733 [n==31]
  • Ring-necked Duck (4) – 4 outliers—Anchor Bay 310, Pontiac 270, Western Macomb County 255, Clinton 155 [n=27]
  • Greater Scaup (5.5) – 1 outlier—Rockwood 161 [n=14]
  • Lesser Scaup (8) – 5 outliers—Monroe 4892, Rockwood 1560, Coloma 143, Battle Creek 131, Anchor Bay 125 [n=25]
  • Greater/Lesser Scaup (53) – 2 outliers—Anchor Bay 12,400, Monroe 7000 [n=12]
  • Long-tailed Duck (15) – 3 outliers—Port Huron 277, Ludington 154, Mackinac Straits 142 [n=21]
  • Bufflehead (29) – 4 outliers—Anchor Bay 1450, Monroe 454, Battle Creek 223, Oceana 211 [n=50]
  • Common Goldeneye (36) – 8 outliers—Holland 2429, Rockwood 806, Beulah 380, Monroe 353, Lake Leelanau 331, Antrim-Old Mission 298, Mackinac Straits 293, Coloma 233 [n=60]
  • Hooded Merganser (22) – 5 outliers—Monroe 658, Western Macomb County 502, Clinton 353, Battle Creek 242, East Lansing 224 [n=53]
  • Common Merganser (37.5) – 7 outliers—Rockwood 1463, Western Macomb County 756, Genesee County 662, Monroe 565, Hubbard Lake 548, Mecosta County 410, Antrim-Old Mission 384 [n=56]
  • Red-breasted Merganser (24.5) – 4 outliers—Manistee 1578, Oceana 500, Holland 442, Hudsonville 233 [n=36]
  • Ruddy Duck (7) – 2 outliers—Anchor Bay 640, Midland 450 [n=15]
  • Ruffed Grouse (4) – 1 outlier—Rudyard 18 [n=23]
  • Wild Turkey (54.5) – 4 outliers—Tittabawassee Valley 576, Midland 452, Lapeer County 331, Sanilac 266 [n=66]
  • Horned Grebe (3) – 2 outliers—Au Train 13, Beulah 10 [n=17]
  • Double-crested Cormorant (2) – 2 outliers—Monroe 1259, Bay City 34 [n=11]
  • Great Blue Heron (5) – 5 outliers—Monroe 74, Rockwood 40, Detroit River 25, Bay City 23, Ann Arbor 21 [n=44]
  • Northern Harrier (2) – 3 outliers—Anchor Bay 25, Rockwood 14, Sanilac 10 [n=23]
  • Sharp-shinned Hawk (1) – 1 outlier—Detroit 5 [n=31]
  • Cooper’s Hawk (4) – 5 outliers—Ann Arbor 24, Western Macomb County 20, Rockwood 17, Anchor Bay 13, Pontiac 12 [n=49]
  • Bald Eagle (11) – 6 outlines—Monroe 302, Rockwood 76, Rudyard 60, Little Bay de Noc 50, Hayward Lakes 35, Petoskey 33 [n=68]
  • Red-shouldered Hawk (1) – 2 outliers—New Buffalo 12, Tittabawassee Valley 11 [n=37]
  • Red-tailed Hawk (14) – 3 outliers—Ann Arbor 94, Western Macomb County 71, Lapeer County 65 [n=62]
  • Rough-legged Hawk (2) – 2 outliers—Neebish Island-Dunbar 17, Carney 14 [n=35]
  • American Coot (11.5) – 5 outliers—Coloma 256, Dowagiac 239, Niles 52, Battle Creek 51, Anchor Bay 44 [n=26]
  • Sandhill Crane (129) – 3 outliers—Dowagiac 2373, Waterloo State Recreation Area 2318, Rockwood 1820 [n=26]
  • Bonaparte’s Gull (6) – 2 outliers—Bay City 205, Anchor Bay 170 [n=13]
  • Ring-billed Gull (98) – 6 outliers—Monroe 6125, Battle Creek 2138, Niles 1625, Anchor Bay 1550, Genesee County 769, Western Macomb County 663 [n=49]
  • Herring Gull (53) – 9 outliers—Sanilac 2463, Rockwood 2384, Little Bay de Noc 2450, Muskegon Wastewater 1857, Port Huron 1720, Marquette 1500, Anchor Bay 1270, Holland 1078, Monroe 909 [n=53]
  • Glaucous Gull (1) – 1 outlier—Port Huron 9 [n=11]
  • Great Black-backed Gull (7) – 1 outlier—Anchor Bay 77 [n=12]
  • Rock Pigeon (148.5) – 6 outliers—Ann Arbor 1074, Little Bay de Noc 820, Berrien Springs 799, Detroit River 787, Alpena 755, Western Macomb County 734 [n=68]
  • Mourning Dove (179.5) – 5 outliers—Western Macomb County 1339, Sanilac 1183, Clinton 974, Waterloo State Recreation Area 963, Mount Pleasant 899 [n=70]
  • Eastern Screech-Owl (5) – 2 outliers: Rockwood 36, Ann Arbor 22 [n=32]
  • Great Horned Owl (2) – 6 outliers—Ann Arbor 11, Holland 8, Kalamazoo 8, Western Macomb County 8, Grand Rapids 6, Rockwood 6 [n=39]
  • Belted Kingfisher (3) – 3 outliers—Ann Arbor 17, Rockwood 12, Kalamazoo 11 [n=38]
  • Red-headed Woodpecker (3) – 1 outlier—Lake County 16 [n=12]
  • Red-bellied Woodpecker (23) – 2 outliers—Ann Arbor 210, Sanilac 119 [n=69]
  • Downy Woodpecker (37) – 5 outliers—Ann Arbor 293, Grand Rapids 178, Western Macomb County 132, Rockwood 130, Kalamazoo 128 [n=71]
  • Hairy Woodpecker (14) – 3 outliers—Ann Arbor 72, Grand Rapids 45, Kalamazoo 45 [n=71]
  • Northern Flicker (10) – 1 outlier—Rockwood 51 [n=36]
  • Pileated Woodpecker (7) – 1 outlier—Grand Rapids 22 [n=68]
  • American Kestrel (6) – 4 outliers—Bay City 27, Mount Pleasant 25, Clinton 22, Hudsonville 21 [n=46]
  • Merlin (1) – 2 outliers—Anchor Bay 4, Sanilac 4 [n=25]
  • Northern Shrike (1) – 1 outlier—Neebish Island-Dunbar 4 [n=23]
  • Blue Jay (84) – 1 outlier—Grand Rapids 483 [n=71]
  • American Crow (177) – 3 outliers—Ann Arbor 8500, Kalamazoo 4700, Sanilac 2349 [n=71]
  • Common Raven (10.5) – 4 outliers—Neebish Island-Dunbar 113, Rudyard 104, Carney 84, Hayward Lakes 76 [n=40]
  • Horned Lark (25) – 2 outliers—Hudsonville 266, Niles 140 [n=27]
  • Black-capped Chickadee (203) – 3 outliers—Tittabawassee Valley 952, Ann Arbor 727, Midland 597 [n=71]
  • Tufted Titmouse (53.5) – 2 outliers—Ann Arbor 338, Grand Rapids 234 [n=60]
  • Red-breasted Nuthatch (11) – 3 outliers—Au Train 49, Ann Arbor 45, Sanilac 43 [n=65]
  • White-breasted Nuthatch (45) – 3 outliers—Ann Arbor 370, Grand Rapids 277, Kalamazoo 184 [n=71]
  • Brown Creeper (3) – 4 outliers—Ann Arbor 17, Kalamazoo 14, Rockwood 14, Grand Rapids 13 [n=50]
  • Winter Wren (1) – 3 outliers—Western Macomb County 8, Detroit River 6, Coloma 4 [n=25]
  • Carolina Wren (5.5) – 2 outliers—Ann Arbor 100, Rockwood 38 [n=34]
  • Golden-crowned Kinglet (3) – 4 outliers—Ann Arbor 14, Grayling 14, Clinton 12, Sanilac 12 [n=37]
  • Eastern Bluebird (45.5) – 1 outlier—Ann Arbor 222 [n=48]
  • Hermit Thrush (1) – 1 outlier—Western Macomb County 9 [n=19]
  • American Robin (37.5) – 6 outliers—Ann Arbor 4916, Kalamazoo 496, Western Macomb County 494, Rockwood 440, Genesee County 353, Berrien Springs 351 [n=52]
  • European Starling (632.5) – 4 outliers—Ann Arbor 15,150, Berrien Springs 6407, Western Macomb County 4542, Port Huron 3929 [n=68]
  • Cedar Waxwing (30) – 6 outliers—Grand Rapids 375, Cadillac Area 310, Allegan State Game Area 261, Mecosta County 255, Beulah 168, Ludington 166 [n=47]
  • Snow Bunting (50) – 1 outlier—Sanilac 689 [n=29]
  • American Tree Sparrow (85) – 3 outliers—Clinton 534, Tittabawassee Valley 455, Western Macomb County 425 [n=61]
  • White-crowned Sparrow (2) – 4 outliers—Berrien Springs 38, Coloma 13, Hudsonville 13, Detroit River 12 [n=18]
  • White-throated Sparrow (3.5) – 4 outliers—Ann Arbor 129, Rockwood 79, Detroit River 35, Niles 19 [n=26]
  • Song Sparrow (11) – 2 outliers—Rockwood 94, Western Macomb County 33 [n=39]
  • Swamp Sparrow (2) – 3 outliers—Rockwood 27, Western Macomb County 12, Anchor Bay 11 [n=18]
  • Northern Cardinal (88.5) – 1 outlier—Ann Arbor 500 [n=70]
  • Red-winged Blackbird (2.5) – 4 outliers—Monroe 47, Bay City 30, Western Macomb County 27, Detroit River 21 [n=22]
  • House Finch (67) – 4 outliers—Western Macomb County 438, Hudsonville 378, Grand Rapids 309, Ann Arbor 380 [n=58]
  • Purple Finch (3) – 5 outliers—Hayward Lakes 54, Traverse City 36, Little Bay de Noc 20, Carney 18, Niles 12 [n=31]
  • Pine Siskin (6) – 2 outliers—Little Bay de Noc 52, Tawas 27 [n=17]
  • American Goldfinch (122.5) – 3 outliers—Ann Arbor 471, Western Macomb County 452, Grand Rapids 408 [n=70]
  • Evening Grosbeak (21) – 3 outliers—Grayling 204, Eagle Harbor 150, Rudyard 109 [n=22]
  • House Sparrow (218) – 4 outliers—Anchor Bay 1640, Rockwood 1299, Western Macomb County 1291, Ann Arbor 1130 [n=66]

Seventeen Species Were Numerically Dominant in at Least One Circle (as a percentage of total individuals; for context, the median for the 71 circles was 24.2%):

  • Canada Goose: 19 circles (NLP—Midland 36.1%, Oceana 35.3%, Petoskey 34.8%, Mount Pleasant 31.6%, Beulah 18.9%, Tittabawassee Valley 16.3%, Mecosta County 13.4%; SLP—Allegan State Game Area 59.4%, Olivet 40.0%, Huron County 39.2%, Muskegon Wastewater 33.7%, East Lansing 33.4%, Gobles 28.9%, Coloma 26.6%, Albion 24.3%, Cass County 23.7%, Clinton 22.7%, Genesee County 22.3%, Detroit River 15.4%)
  • European Starling: 19 circles (UP—Rudyard 21.0%, Hayward Lakes 19.9%, Carney 12.8%; NLP—Manistee 43%, Cadillac Area 23.3%, Cheboygan 16.3%, Ludington 14.2%; SLP—Berrien Springs 49.5%, Barry County 35.5%, Ann Arbor 34.8%, Port Huron 30.4%, Pontiac 25.5%, Hartland 24.9%, Western Macomb County 23.3%, Lapeer County 22.9%, Hudsonville 21.3%, New Buffalo 20.1%, Detroit 18.3%, Grand Rapids 13.8%)
  • Black-capped Chickadee: 7 circles (UP—Drummond Island 54.4%, Au Train 20.3%, Neebish Island-Dunbar 20.1%, Les Cheneaux 18.7%; NLP—Grayling 24.3%, Lake County 17.4%, Higgins Lake-Houghton Lake 17.0%)
  • Redhead: 5 circles (UP/NLP—Mackinac Strait 80.5%; NLP—Tawas 50.9%, Traverse City 29.0%; SLP—Muskegon 24.9%, Anchor Bay 18.1%)
  • Rock Pigeon: 3 circles (UP—Houghton County 16.7%; NLP—Oscoda 24.6%, Ogemaw County 24.2%)
  • American Crow: 3 circles (NLP—Lake Leelanau 12.7%; SLP—Kalamazoo 34.5%, Sanilac 18.0%)
  • Mallard: 2 circles (NLP—Bay City 30.2%, Antrim-Old Mission 17.2%)
  • Sandhill Crane: 2 circles (SLP—Dowagiac 32.3%, Waterloo State Recreation Area 23.3%)
  • Herring Gull: 2 circles (UP—Little Bay de Noc 40.2%, Marquette 31.0%)
  • Ring-billed Gull: 2 circles (SLP—Niles 21.0%, Battle Creek 18.4%)
  • Canvasback: 1 circle (SLP—Rockwood 39.7%)
  • Greater/Lesser Scaup: 1 circle (SLP—Monroe 20.9%)
  • Common Goldeneye: 1 circle (SLP—Holland 46.2%)
  • Common Merganser: 1 circle (NLP—Hubbard Lake 29.3%)
  • Mourning Dove: 1 circle (NLP—Alpena 21.1%)
  • Bohemian Waxwing: 1 circle (UP—Eagle Harbor 28.0%)
  • American Goldfinch: 1 circle (UP—Manistique 13.7%)

Thirty Circles Recorded New Species (48% of 62 circles with a history of at least 10 counts recorded at least one new species; stated another way, 30 circles with a combined 1058 count years tallied a cumulative 45 new species):

  • 4 species at one circle – NLP—Tittabawassee Valley (Killdeer, American Pipit, Field Sparrow, & Swamp Sparrow)
  • 3 species at each of two circles – NLP—Oscoda (Great Blue Heron, Southern Lapwing, & Evening Grosbeak); SLP—Muskegon Wastewater (Trumpeter Swan, Redhead, & Evening Grosbeak)
  • 2 species at each of eight circles – UP—Les Cheneaux (Merlin & Brown Thrasher); UP/NLP—Mackinac Straits (Tundra Swan & Song Sparrow); NLP—Grayling (Red-necked Grebe & Ruby-crowned Kinglet), Tawas (Peregrine Falcon & Eastern Bluebird); SLP—Detroit (Glaucous Gull & Northern Saw-whet Owl), Detroit River (Greater White-fronted Goose & Sandhill Crane), Genesee County (Killdeer & Wilson’s Snipe), Monroe (Common Loon & Pileated Woodpecker)
  • 1 species at each of nineteen circles – UP—Au Train (Gray Catbird), Houghton County (American Three-toed Woodpecker), Little Bay de Noc (Ring-necked Duck), Manistique (Yellow-rumped Warbler), Marquette (Lark Sparrow); NLP—Alpena (Iceland Gull), Bay City (American Wigeon), Cadillac Area (Ring-necked Duck), Hubbard Lake (Green-winged Teal), Manistee (Pied-billed Grebe), Mecosta County (Lesser Scaup), Midland (American White Pelican), Mount Pleasant (Northern Shoveler); SLP—Gobles (Ross’s Goose), Grand Rapids (Common Raven), Holland (American Wigeon), Olivet (Canvasback), Waterloo State Recreation Area (Blue-winged Teal), Western Macomb County (Lincoln’s Sparrow)

Seven Circles Recorded At Least 70 Species (for context, the median number of species/circle was 54):

  • 88 – Anchor Bay (45,080 individuals)
  • 84 – Rockwood (95,723)
  • 79 – Clinton (11,695)
  • 78 – Monroe (35,505)
  • 77 – Western Macomb County (19,499)
  • 75 – Ann Arbor (43,564)
  • 73 – Battle Creek (11,647)

Eleven Circles Recorded >12,500 Individuals (for context, the median number of individuals/circle was 5951):

  • 95,723 – Rockwood (84 species)
  • 45,080 – Anchor Bay (88)
  • 43,564 – Ann Arbor (75)
  • 33,505 – Monroe (78)
  • 21,632 – Holland (67)
  • 19,499 – Western Macomb County (77)
  • 14,427 – Bay City (64)
  • 13,608 – Kalamazoo (66)
  • 13,707 – Sanilac (71)
  • 12,948 – Berrien Springs (69)
  • 12,914 – Port Huron (66)

Eight Circles Had High Indices of Rarity (the index of rarity is the number of rare or infrequently seen species as a percentage of the total number of species, with a minimum of 35%; for context, the median was 24.6%):

  • 44.6% - Detroit (29 of 65)
  • 42.7% - Ann Arbor (32 of 75)
  • 42.2% - East Lansing (27 of 64)
  • 40.0% - Midland (26 of 65)
  • 39.1% - Ludington (25 of 64)
  • 38.4% - Battle Creek (28 of 73)
  • 37.7% - Western Macomb County (29 of 77)
  • 35.2% - Muskegon Wastewater (19 of 54)

Thirteen Circles Were Relative Hotspots (circles with statistically high species counts—i.e., outliers—as a percentage of total species, with a minimum of 10.0%; for context, the median for all 55 circles with outliers was 5.4%):

  • 34.7% - Ann Arbor (26 of 75)
  • 31.8% - Rockwood (28 of 88)
  • 27.3% - Western Macomb County (21 of 77)
  • 22.7% - Anchor Bay (20 of 88)
  • 20.4% - Grand Rapids (11 of 54)
  • 17.9% - Monroe (14 of 78)
  • 15.2% - Kalamazoo (10 of 66)
  • 14.1% - Sanilac (10 of 71)
  • 12.9% - Detroit River (8 of 62)
  • 11.4% - Hudsonville (9 of 79)
  • 10.9% - Bay City (7 of 64)
  • 10.7% - Carney (3 of 28)
  • 10.5% - Rudyard (4 of 38)

Finally, a heartfelt thank you goes out to the 63 compilers and more than 1200 participants who made this statewide summary possible.