137 species were found during the Audubon bird count on January 1, 2021, near the recent average. 32 birders covered what was left of the Angwin count circle taking place at St. Supéry’s Dollarhide Estate Vineyard. The weather was ideal. Fire and drought created exceptional conditions throughout the circle.
Small ranch ponds were dry or very low. Stream flow was minimal. This did not appear to impact overall waterfowl numbers. The smaller reservoirs support relatively small concentrations of birds. In general, the larger lakes held average or higher than normal flocks of coots, grebes, cormorants and ducks. I do not include the St Supéry Mute Swan in the total species number. This bird was released in 2019.
After a fall season with a few local records, the counts second Cassin’s Finch was at Angwin. The two Mountain Bluebirds in Pope Valley followed several at Lake Berryessa in fall. There are three previous count records. A Eurasian Wigeon at the Angwin sewage ponds is the 11th for the count. Redhead has been rare in recent years; three were in Pope Valley. The lone night-heron was at Hennessey, not in St Helena. We found owls in normal numbers. The count-week Costa’s Hummingbird at Garden Avenue in St Helena is Napa County’s first winter record. It was reported that each of the two Pope Valley Phainopeplas were in the same trees as a year ago. A “Red” Fox Sparrow at Lake Hennessey is a count first. We missed a few easy birds that would have brought the total to 140-plus, and we hope to spot them next year.
Angwin, Napa, California, US
Jan 1, 2021 5:00 AM – 5:00 PM
137 species (+3 other taxa)