Four participants contributed to the Great Backyard Bird Count in eastern Cherry county during the long weekend. The primary count sites were the Carolyn and LeRoy Semin ranch just west of Kilgore, the northeast side of Valentine and within Valentine as seen during a ca. three mile bicycle ride, The Quigley bird feeders as an incidental count, and then the Gallino Ranch on the southeast side of Valentine wildlife refuge.
At the Semin place, birds were primarily counted in the morning in association with bird feeders associated with the residence.
On the north side of Valentine, some sighting reports starting on Friday when junco and turkeys were prevalent at a bird seed source. The most prominent observation was five trumpeter swans - three adults and two juveniles which was the largest count for this species at this site in recent years - at the Valentine Mill Pond on Saturday morning. There was also a smaller cackling goose well seen amidst a flock of its larger conjoiners. So many Canada goose were lingering on the ice. Several other birds sorts were prevalent at the North Lake Shore Hills as well as then in Valentine.
House sparrows were busy getting ready for the pending breeding season along Main Street building facades. At least three starlings were also getting involved. A single robin stood on a yard fence post as seen while bicycling about.
More robins had been recently seen at the Semin Ranch in previous days.
From heart city, a red-breasted nuthatch was heard north of the pond on Saturday was an addition to the tally though it was not seen during a count.
Nearby on the north side of town is the well cared-for Quigley bird feeder. Incidental during the count weekend, Anne Quigley had seen chickadees, both the red-breasted and white-breasted nuthatch, downy woodpecker and juncos.
“I really enjoy the birds,” Quigley said. They become notably more prominent once more seed was placed in the feeder during the count weekend, she said.
A summary of the 27 species noted during bird count weekend. Value given is a composite total for the particular site.
| Proper Name | Semin Ranch, Kilgore | North Lake Shore Hills | Valentine Mill Pond | Valentine City Park | Quigley Place, Valentine | Valentine | Gallino Ranch, Valentine Lake District |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Crow | - - | 2 | 1 | - - | - - | - - | 15 |
| American Goldfinch | 58 | - - | - - | - - | - - | 8 | - - |
| American Robin | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - |
| American Tree Sparrow | 33 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 5 | - - | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - - |
| Blue Jay | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | - - |
| Cackling Goose | - - | - - | 4 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Canada Goose | 106 | - - | 1425 | 14 | - - | - - | 50 |
| Common Pheasant | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 20 |
| Common Starling | 3 | - - | - - | - - | - - | 3 | - - |
| Dark-eyed Junco | 29 | 16 | - - | 3 | 3 | - - | - - |
| Downy Woodpecker | 4 | - - | 1 | - - | 1 | - - | - - |
| Eurasian Collared Dove | - - | 3 | 2 | - - | - - | 6 | - - |
| Great Horned Owl | 6 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 |
| Greater Prairie-Chicken | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 20 |
| Hairy Woodpecker | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - |
| Horned Lark | 2 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| House Sparrow | - - | - - | 20 | - - | - - | 56 | - - |
| Northern Cardinal | - - | - - | 2 | - - | 2 | - - | - - |
| Northern Flicker | 2 | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | - - | - - | 1 | - - | 1 | - - | - - |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Rock Dove | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 12 | - - |
| Sharp-tailed Grouse | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Trumpeter Swan | - - | - - | 5 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | - - | - - | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | - - |
| Wild Turkey | - - | 5 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
Several pictures were taken of the birds that occurred at the Semin place.
Summary of bird counts made each of the four count days at the Semin Ranch.
| Proper Name | 14 Feb 2020 | 15 Feb 2020 | 16 Feb 2020 | 17 Feb 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Goldfinch | 25 | 16 | 11 | 6 |
| American Tree Sparrow | 2 | 10 | 1 | 20 |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 2 | - - | 2 | 1 |
| Canada Goose | - - | - - | 106 | - - |
| Common Starling | 2 | - - | 1 | - - |
| Dark-eyed Junco | 10 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Great Horned Owl | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Horned Lark | 2 | - - | - - | - - |
| Northern Flicker | 1 | - - | - - | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | - - | - - | 1 | - - |
| Sharp-tailed Grouse | - - | - - | - - | - - |
Multitudes of other birds were present in the county during the weekend. Nearly all of them were not counted. Warming weather meant ice-free waters at a multitude of lakes where waterfowl congregate.
The bird observations in Cherry county were a small but yet still important part of the worldwide weekend count.
A newspaper article on the results of the count was issued on pages A1 and A2 in the North Platte Telegraph on February 20th, and included two pictures taken by Carolyn Semin. She also posted a few others on her facebook page.
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