Christmas Bird Counts in New Mexico

In my capacity as regional editor for Christmas Bird Counts in the state of New Mexico, my duties are to review records for all counts in the state and to write a brief synopsis of each year's counts.

Guidelines for compilers

It is not necessary to send me the actual census; enter it at Audubon's regular compiler site and I'll get it from there.

Please send details of unusual species directly to me by snail or e-mail:

• John W. Shipman, 507 Fitch St. NW, Socorro, 87801
• E-mail: john@nmt.edu

Frequently asked questions

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions from compilers:

• When should records be flagged as unusually high counts (flag HC, printed with the number boldfaced)?
• When should records be flagged as unusual species (flag US, printed with the entire entry boldfaced)?
• When should details be submitted?
• What constitutes acceptable details?

To get a Web page showing the complete history of any count circle in the state, see the CBC history report request page. It shows every bird ever counted in that circle, as well as the mean and standard deviation of the numbers for each bird. If you would like a copy of this report in printed form, please send me e-mail.

Species of special concern

I freely admit that I am not as active in the field as I once was. I rely on a number of professional ornithologists and active field birders for current information, especially Sandy Williams, Christopher Rustay, John Parmeter, and Jerry Oldenettel, but I am responsible for the final decisions.

There are a number of species for which these experts feel I should always ask for strong evidence—detailed writeups, if not photos.

• Cinnamon and Blue-winged Teal reports in the north without details will be changed to “teal sp.”
• Separating Yellow-shafted Flicker from hybrids with Red-shafted is never easy, and in some cases may be impossible without DNA testing.
• If any species of Empidonax flycatcher is reported without details, I will automatically change it to Empidonax sp.
• Blue-gray and Black-tailed gnatcatcher populations outside the southeast corner of the state are in flux, so please include details.
• Some authorities dispute any winter record of Bendire's Thrasher.
• All undescribed Common Grackle records north of I-40 will be changed to “grackle sp.”
• Please do not report exotic species that are not established, such as Greylag Goose, domestic duck hybrids, Chukar, and Ringed Turtle-Dove.

Documentation of rarities

Here are some photos of unusual birds from previous years.

• Documentation for the 107th New Mexico CBC
• Documentation for the 106th New Mexico CBC
• Documentation for the 105th New Mexico CBC
• Documentation for the 104th New Mexico CBC
• Documentation for the 102nd New Mexico CBC
• Documentation for the 101st New Mexico CBC
• Documentation for the 96th New Mexico CBC

Last updated: 2009/06/08 01:52:57
URL: http://www.nmt.edu/~shipman/z/cbc/nmcbc.html