Date: 1/2/26 8:41 pm From: Mary & Nick Freeman via groups.io <mnfreeman...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Lancaster CBC result, 12/20/25
Happy New Year Birders!
Kind of late, but worth the wait!
Nick & Mary Freeman, Compilers
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2025 Lancaster CBC Breakdown
CBC Date: Dec. 20, 2025
The 47th Lancaster CBC held on Saturday, Dec. 20 was a remarkably calm (start: 0 -finish: 0 to 20 mph) and temperate (45°- 75°F) affair, under light cirrus (0-30%) skies. Mary and I would once again like to thank all who came out to tally birds in the Lancaster area. We had 24 participants this year, about spot-on with our Count Average of 25 participants, but – notably- only two teams counted after lunch.
Total Species Count:
105 Species were tabulated this year, which is 5 under the Count Average of 109.8, and 20 under the Max of 125 species seen in 2020. 105 species betters only 8 other years (17%) of our long and illustrious count.
Total Bird Tally:
18,466 Birds were tallied for the 2025 Count. Not many birds compared to a corrected Avg. of 36.7K over the years. Total Birds is only down 500 from last year with 7 less participants in the field, so I think we are at least treading water.
New Species: Never Before Seen on the Lancaster Christmas Bird Count – NONE!
Now for the Highlights, Lowlights, and Remarkable Sightings, or Lack Thereof :
Remarkable Sightings:
Wood Duck (1), most recently seen 2011. 2 others ever for the Count. Excellent!
Costa’s Hummingbird (1), of only (4) ever for the Count. Most recently 3 yrs. ago (’97, ’11, ’22).
Clarke’s Grebe (1), Avg. (0.4). Most recent: ’00 (1). (15) of (19) ever seen were in ’86 – the only year with over 2 CLGR recorded. I.D. issue?
Osprey (1), Avg. (0.1). 5 ever, most recent in ’16. Flyover at Country Club, heading S.
Pygmy Nuthatch ! ! ! (1), Avg. (0.1). Only 2 others ever seen, both in 1987 on the 9th year of the CBC. It’s been a long time. Probably the Bird of the Count!
Max for the Count:
Ring-necked Duck (214), Avg. (34). Only over 100 thrice, including 2007 (143). Max is more than twice the Avg. of the last 7 yrs. Percent increase in numbers like Redhead!
Anna’s Hummingbird (28), old Max. (25) from 2 yrs. ago. Avg. (10), which ANHU hit in 2000, missing this mark only three times since.
Allen’s Hummingbird (3), ties Count Max. in ‘20. Of 11 ever seen, all were recorded in the last 9 yrs. Here to stay! Note: first 4 yrs seen, always at one feeder. This year, in 3 separate areas.
Black Phoebe (59), Avg. (22). Beats out the Max. of (50) from 2 yrs. ago, and (47) from last year. Irrigation and matured plantings in urban & suburban areas likely to account for continued success of this species.
Remarkably High or Trending Up (*see below):
Canvasback (24), Avg. (9). Only 2 counts over (20) since 1983 (153 seen).
Redhead*(13), Avg. (12). Over Avg. all of last 7 yrs., but only 5 times in previous 39 yrs. Change in wintering distribution? High counts 1983 (110), and 2003 (53); irruptive.
Rock Pigeon (1,398), Avg. (490). Max. of (2,214) in ’96. Only over 1K twice before (’88, ’96). Both over 2K. 1K ROPI were in Ag & Dairy lands. Doing well!
Verdin (10), Avg. (3.4). High (15). All 5 counts over (9) in last 7 yrs. These tiny desert obligates seem able to make a go of it while the desert habitat and all other desert birds are struggling. Fascinating.
Historic Minimums for the Count:
Loggerhead Shrike (10), Avg (40). Previous Mins. of (13) were both in last 6 yrs. Max. (97)! Should be fairly common in healthy J-tree and Atriplex scrub, Ag windbreaks. Victim of depressed groundwater?
White-crowned Sparrow (494), Avg. (1.5K), Max. (3.9K). 4 of the 7 counts below 800 have been in the last 8 yrs., although the other 4 yrs. in the last 8 tallied over 1K WCSP, so hopefully this trend can turn around. Decreased Ag, seed bank in the soil, struggling scrub not seeding well. Idle speculation. Maybe the heavy rains this year will turn things around?
Western Meadowlark (40), Avg. (270), Max. (875)! Previous Min. was (88) in ’89. Numbers fluctuate considerably on this CBC. Our areas in both Lancaster & Malibu CBCs were skunked here, so maybe something regional/climate-related is going on.
Notable Misses and Underachievers:
Northern Harrier*(10), Avg. (29), Max (73). Second Lowest tally for the Count. Low of (3) in ’99 is only count less than (11). Appears somewhat cyclical, but numbers have been lower on average lately.
California Scrub-Jay (0), Avg (1.9). Skunked 2 yrs. running, and 3 of last 4. Unheard of since the first 11 yrs. of the 47-year CBC. Not generally urban or suburban birds, so probably unable to take advantage of most in-town irrigation or feeders.
LeConte’s Thrasher*(0), Avg. (2.9). While we have been skunked by LETH 7 times over the history of the Count, 3 times were over the first 9 yrs, one in the middle and 4 over the last 8 yrs. of the Count. As LETH prefers undeveloped, dense Atriplex scrub and desert washes, I suspect that early skunks were due to lack of surveying in “desert wasteland”, and not lack of birds. The habitat was likely better then. It is disconcerting that we are often not finding LETH now, which seems likely to stem from poor quality scrub, caused by lack of groundwater.
(* designates California Species of Special Concern)
Nick & Mary Freeman, Lancaster Christmas Bird Count Compilers
Glendale, CA
LA Audubon Society, Lancaster CBC Sponsor
