Numerous outstanding finds were recorded on the 13 Christmas Counts reported to Alabamn Birdlifc for the 1974 Christmass Season (the same number as last year and again including two counts at Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge–one on December 21 and the other on January 4). Western and northern visitors would have to compete with each other for greater significance and, if one had to choose, perhaps the scales should be tipped in favor of the westerns. They included a Black-throated Gray Warbler at Bay County, a Western Kingbird and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher at Fort Morgan, 3 White-winged Doves and a brilliant male Yellow-headed Blackbird at Pensacola, and another Yellow-headed Blackbird
a t Dauphin Island (each of the blackbirds followed up recent winter records at the same places). There are increasing records of Black-throated Grays wintering in the Florida Peninsula, and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers have been noted in good numbers on Western and Southern Florida Christmas Counts for over a decade, so AOS observers may look forward to possibilities of additional observations of those species in future years. The warbler was only the first on an AOS Christmas Count, the Western Kingbird a second, and the flycatcher
a fourth. White-winged Doves are rare in the AOS area. There have been three previous count records in Alabama, but this was the first for Northwest Florida on a Christmas Count or during a Christmas Count week since 1967 although a few are seen in most winters.
Author: Robert R. Reid, Jr.
Volume Number: 23 Year Published: 1975
Issue Number: 1-2
Page Number: 3
Link to article: http://birdlife.aosbirds.org/1975/Vol 23 No. 1, 2 1975_p3-8.pdf
Link to the full issue of BirdLife: http://birdlife.aosbirds.org/1975/Vol 23 No. 1, 2 1975.pdf
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