The 89th Boonton Christmas Bird Count Report – 2024
The 89th annual Boonton Christmas Bird Count (CBC) took place on Sunday, December 22, 2024. Temperatures ranged from a pre-dawn 14°F rising up to 22°F in the afternoon. Thankfully, the day was sunny. However, occasional gusts of a north wind were bone-chilling. A thin layer of snow remained on the ground from a storm the previous Friday. Many stationary bodies of water were frozen but the larger reservoirs and lakes held waterfowl.
Approximately 36 dedicated participants in 15 parties braved the sub-freezing conditions to create a solid count of 95 species. The 89-year average for the Boonton CBC is 84.1 species. The 21st century average is 95.6. The average for the previous 10 years is 89.6. Although not included in the numerical data, three count-week species were also recorded.
Heartfelt congratulations and gratitude to the participants for their enthusiasm and persistence in completing this count. The compiler is especially impressed that all of the data was received well within 24 hours of the completion of the count day. Bravissimo!
All numbers in this report are related to the history of the Boonton CBC.
18,714 individual birds were tallied. This is slightly down from the previous three years. The 89-year average is 16,811. The 21st-century average is 23,878 which is skewed by the all-time high count of 62,336 in 2001 which was augmented by nearly 20,000 Common Grackles and 17,000 European Starlings.
Overall, 41 species had totals above their 21st century averages.
The Boonton CBC founded by Floyd Wolfarth (1911-1987) and other original members of the Urner Ornithological Club, has counted 1,496,134 individual birds in the 89 uninterrupted years of this CBC. Wars and pandemics have not deterred people from continuing with this endeavor.
Highlights for this year’s Boonton CBC
- Long-tailed Duck was reported for the fourth time and the first since 2009.
- Red-necked Grebe was reported for only the third time and the first since 2002.
- Sora was reported for the seventh time despite the frigid conditions.
- Two teams reported Virginia Rails.
- 3 Wilson’s Snipe were seen and photographed.
- Bald Eagles had their highest number with 30. The previous high was 21 in 2021.
- 9 Great Horned Owls is the highest count since 11 in 2010.
- 27 Eastern Screech-Owls were tallied for the second year in a row representing the highest numbers since 29 in 2004. Interestingly, 27 also were counted in 2002 and 2003.
- 4 Barred Owls, although not a high number, together with 2023’s total of 5 show a subtle increase over the previous twenty years.
- Dark-eyed Juncos have been on all 89 years of the CBC but it took until 2024 for this species to reach its high count of 2,124. Many parties reported abundant numbers of Juncos. The previous high was 1,882 in 1992.
- 4 juvenile White-crowned Sparrows were found at the Montville Community Gardens representing only the second time since 2016 that this species was recorded. Both years were at the same location. White-crowned Sparrows were annual on the CBC from 1994-2013.
- 44 Common Ravens is one shy of the all-time high count of 45 in 2021. The first Raven ever reported on the Boonton CBC was 1 in 2002.
- 5 Horned Larks at the old Greystone Property (now Central Park of Morris County), and the first since 2014, was a nice find by the Benvent-Eppedio-Golumbeski-Lukenda quartet.
- 39 Golden-crowned Kinglets for the second year in a row is the highest total since 46 were tallied in 2000.
- Snow Geese have appeared on 22 CBCs. 75 seen in 2024 is only the second time since 2016 and the fourth highest total overall. Most tallies of this species have been of small numbers and singletons. Two teams reported Snow Geese. The following flock flew over Montville in a perfectly blue sky.
The three count-week species are Horned Grebe, Peregrine Falcon, and Brown Thrasher. A count-week entry is defined by a species not seen on the day of the count but reported either three days before or three days after the count day. These are not included in the numerical tallies but appear as cw in the National Audubon database.
A list of the species found on this CBC is at the following link: https://mocosocobirds.com/birds-of-morris-county-n-j/boontoncbc/species-list/ Species seen on the 2024 count are marked with an asterisk or cw if they are a count-week species.
The following species were seen by one party only. The species column is followed by the amount reported. The third column represents the percentage of occurrences in the 89-year history of the count.
| Species | Total | % of years on BCBC | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cackling Goose | 1 | 7.9% | Four years in a row. First recorded in 2008. |
| Wood Duck | 2 | 85.4% | Hasn’t been missed since 2004. |
| Long-tailed Duck | 1 | 4.5% | Only the fourth appearance on the CBC. |
| Common Goldeneye | 5 | 75.3% | With open water, it can usually be found somewhere. |
| Wild Turkey | 13 | 42.7% | 1983 was the first year it was recorded. It has been counted every year since 1988 but with decreasing numbers and occurrences. |
| Pied-billed Grebe | 1 | 77.5% | Almost missed three years in a row. |
| Red-necked Grebe | 1 | 3.4% | Only the third record in 89 years. A remarkable record since it’s not an especially good year for this species in the entire state. |
| Sora | 1 | 7.9% | Second time in four years thanks to the effort of Jeff Ellerbusch. We need to start a fund to get this man of the marsh some waders to keep him dry. |
| American Coot | 5 | 73.3% | Not a surprise considering the icy conditions. In 2011, 465 were tallied. |
| Wilson’s Snipe | 3 | 62.9% | Was formerly an annual species but not so for the past decade. |
| Great Black-backed Gull | 1 | 64.0% | Was annual, even numerous, from the 1960s through the 2010s but has been rare the past five years. |
| Double-crested Cormorant | 1 | 9.0% | Recorded only twice in the past decade. |
| Horned Lark | 5 | 46.1% | Not reported since 2014. It was annual and numerous from 1944 through 1970. |
| Marsh Wren | 1 | 40.4% | Almost always reported in small numbers. |
| Gray Catbird | 1 | 60.7% | One often pops up somewhere. |
| Purple Finch | 11 | 92.1% | Has missed only six times in 89 years. |
| Chipping Sparrow | 1 | 29.2% | Regularly irregular. |
| White-crowned Sparrow | 4 | 36.0% | Seen twice in the past three years at the same location |
The following table shows species missed in 2024 that appear in more than 50% of the 89 years of the Boonton CBC.
| Species | % of years on Boonton CBC | Comments |
| Northern Shoveler | 51.7% | Third miss since 1988 and second year in a row. |
| Canvasback | 58.4% | Formerly annual and numerous but disappearing since 2013 except for three small appearances. |
| Ruffed Grouse | 57.3% | Same old story, not reported since 2006. |
| Killdeer | 62.9% | Considering the cold, not unexpected. |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 52.8% | Not tallied since 2010 and spotty before that. |
| Long-eared Owl | 58.4% | Only found once since 2015. |
| American Kestrel | 85.4% | Seen annually from 1936 through 1992 with high counts of 32 in 1976 and 1978. Those days are gone. |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | 69.7% | Annual from 1968 through 2014 but erratic since. |
| Cedar Waxwing | 76.4% | Fairly annual through 2021 but missed two of the past three years. |
| Pine Siskin | 55.1% | Reported only once since 2015. |
To give an example of the wild extremes in a species’ number of individuals, below is a chart of the American Robin in the 21st Century. From a low of 53 in 2020 to its all-time high count of 8,790 in 2013. Fluctuation is the norm with many species.
Below is the list of species occurring in all 89 years of the Boonton CBC. This has not changed since 2018:
- American Black Duck
- Mallard
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Downy Woodpecker
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Blue Jay
- American Crow
- Black-capped Chickadee
- Tufted Titmouse
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- Brown Creeper
- European Starling
- American Tree Sparrow
- Song Sparrow
- Swamp Sparrow
- White-throated Sparrow
- Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco
- Northern Cardinal
- American Goldfinch
- House Sparrow
Here is the Top Ten of the number of individuals for all 89 years of the count. 1,496,134 individual birds are counted uninterrupted from 1936-2024.
Of course, American Tree Sparrow sticks out in this list. The 89-year average for this species is 606. The last ten years is 139 and the past four years is 100. Overall a dramatic drop in numbers yet the totals were so high for so long that it continues on this list. The same is reported on other CBCs. Considered abundant in its breeding range in the very far north, the over-wintering population has shown a sharp decrease. Land use changes, climate change, maturation of forests, etc. may all contribute to its wintering decline in our area.
| Species | Total Individuals (89 years) | |
| 1 | European Starling | 218,204 |
| 2 | Canada Goose | 188,163 |
| 3 | Common Grackle | 137,522 |
| 4 | American Crow | 127,268 |
| 5 | Mallard | 66,821 |
| 6 | Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco | 62,103 |
| 7 | American Tree Sparrow | 53,931 |
| 8 | Red-winged Blackbird | 45,904 |
| 9 | White-throated Sparrow | 41,808 |
| 10 | Ring-billed Gull | 41,027 |
The 90th Boonton CBC for 2025
The Boonton CBC is traditionally held on the second Sunday of the Christmas Count period. With that in mind, the 90th Boonton CBC is scheduled for Sunday, December 28, 2025.
Nature needs us more than ever. The best of health and good birding to all in 2025!
Jonathan Klizas
Compiler, Boonton CBC
www.mocosocobirds.com
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