Summer Bird Counts 2022

State-wide SBC compiler Tom Robben has announced the calendar of 2022 Summer Bird Counts. 

“There are no other breeding bird counts both on such a large geographic scale (eight 15-mile circles) and on such a very large time scale (done annually, every year, over multiple decades, some going back to the 1970s), ” Tom says. “As we all know, the SBCs are very similar to the wintertime Christmas Bird Counts, and they complement them by being performed during the breeding season, to assess the crucial breeding success of birds and of our habitats, over time, over decades. These SBCs definitely contribute to ‘science’, and then to conservation.”

See the list below for all 8 dates that have been confirmed by all 8 count compilers. 

 The Summer Count (SBC) takes place over a two day period, a Saturday and Sunday.  The SBC is conducted in the same format as the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), with all birds seen and heard during this two day period compiled within designated area.  Compilers will tally the total Count results and send them to the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA), where they are eventually published in the COA’s quarterly publication The Connecticut Warbler.  
 
The SBCs provide trends on the status of nesting species over time. While some species, like the Bald Eagle, have been increasing, numbers for other birds like the American Kestrel have plummeted.  In some cases, increasing or declining numbers can be tied to habitat change, while in other cases the reasons are not so clear.  There are some differences between the CBC and the SBC.  On the summer count, we do count crows as they are not gathering into large roosts as they do in winter.  While we count the amount of time spent in the field on the SBC, we do not count miles covered as we do on the CBC.  Another difference….there are a lot more birds and more species to count in June than there are in December. These multi-year population trends are analyzed and reported on by Patrick Comins in his interesting SBC articles in The Connecticut Warbler each year.
 
If you plan to participate, please check in with the area compiler. 
 

FIRST WEEKEND IN JUNE 2022:   JUNE 4-5 

  • Woodbury-Roxbury. Contact: Russ Naylor, 44 Church St., Woodbury, CT 06798; 203 841-7779. (both June 4 and 5 ok, but June 5 preferred). 

SECOND WEEKEND:     JUNE 11-12 

  • Greenwich-Stamford. Contact: Thomas Burke, 235 Highland Rd., Rye, NY 10580; 914 967-4922, thomaswardburke@gmail.com, and Gary Palmer, 34 Field Rd., Cos Cob, CT 06830; 203 661-4897, garyjane4523@gmail.com 
  • Hartford. Contact: Jay Kaplan, 71 Gracey Rd., Canton, CT 06019; 860 693-0157 and cell 860-707-5246, jaybrd49@aol.com   
  • Litchfield Hills. Contact: David Tripp Jr., 97 Hunter Court, Torrington, CT 06790; dtrippjr@gmail.com   
  • New Haven.  Contact: Steve Mayo, 27 Tuttle Court, Bethany, CT 06524; 203 551-1707, rsdmayo@sbcglobal.net   

THIRD WEEKEND:     JUNE 18-19 

  • New Milford / Pawling. Contact: Angela Dimmitt, PO Box 146, Sherman, CT 06784; 860 355-3429, angeladimmitt@aol.com  
  • (Revised Date) Storrs.  Contact: Steve Morytko, 288 Varga Rd., Ashford, CT 06278; 860 680-5728, smorytko@yahoo.com  

FOURTH WEEKEND:     JUNE 25-26 IN 2022.