Notes about your surroundings

Christmas Bird Count Tally--South Coast Audubon, a chapter of the National Audubon Society, has tallied the results of its first Christmas Bird Count.

The count, held Dec. 18, was part of a nationwide effort to conduct a census of the bird population.

More than 19,000 individual birds and 130 species were counted in the South Coast Audubon effort.

The count was held in the following areas: Arroyo Trabuco and Saddleback; Laguna Niguel Regional Park and Aliso Creek; San Juan Creek; Dana Point and Capistrano Bay; San Clemente parks and golf courses; Camp Pendleton; Rancho Mission Viejo Co. and Conservancy; and Ronald W. Caspers Regional Park.

Gulls, European starlings and yellow-rumped warblers were the species spotted most often, but there were some unexpected sightings, too, according to South Coast Audubon.

The ponds behind Saddleback Community College yielded many varieties of duck species, including cinnamon teals, green-winged teals, American widgeons, greater scaups and one bufflehead.

Two blue-gray gnatcatchers were seen along San Juan Creek. California gnatcatchers were seen in several areas but not in great numbers.

The greatest number of cactus wrens were counted in Ronald W. Caspers Regional Park. The park area also yielded surprise sightings of a large number of lark sparrows, a flock of mountain chickadees and mountain bluebirds.

There were many sightings of hawks and falcons, with American kestrels leading the way. White-tailed kites were spotted in many areas, but northern harrier sightings were not as common.

Only one individual of the following species was spotted during the count: western grebe, Clark’s grebe, bufflehead, red-breasted merganser, zone-tailed hawk, rough-tailed hawk, golden eagle, merlin, common moorhen, western sandpiper, lesser nighthawk, common poorwill.