Northern Cardinal and Tufted Titmouse Survey

Though Northern Cardinal and Tufted Titmouse are common yearlong residents of Massachusetts it wasn't that long ago—the 1950's to be specific—when the sighting of either species was an unusual event.

Northern Cardinal. Photo by Eduardo del Solar.

In 1964, the Allen Bird Club began asking people in western Massachusetts to report sightings of both Northern Cardinal and Tufted Titmouse. The following year, Mass Audubon assumed responsibility for the project, expanding it New England-wide in the late 1960's. All participants were asked to record the greatest number of Titmice and male and female cardinals seen at their feeders during the count weekend. A few years later, Northern Mockingbird, another relative latecomer to our avian community, was added to the list. Thousands of records (more than 3,000 in 1975) were submitted every year tracing the increase and northward expansion of these three species, ostensibly in response to the moderating winters.

Publicity in this pre-Internet age was limited to the Mass Audubon newsletter, local bird clubs, and word of mouth. At the beginning of the project, Mass Audubon membership was approximately 12,000 (now numbering more than 100,000), and bird watching and bird feeding were not the widely popular activities they have become today. (The recent US Fish and Wildlife Service Survey estimate that more than 1.6 million Massachusetts residents watched, photographed, or fed wildlife around the home.)

The results of the survey were compiled and summarized by Mass Audubon volunteers and mailed to participants. Sample reports and a more detailed description of the history of this survey can be viewed at the following link (1973 Report and 1983 Report).

For the first time the statewide results of this survey can be viewed in the chart below.

In a survey of this type it is difficult to ascribe annual fluctuations to specific causes because of variation in participation, but trends are evident, especially the increasing trend of all species in the earlier survey years. Survey participation and reported observations declined in the later years perhaps reflecting that the novelty of sighting a Cardinal or Titmouse was no longer noteworthy.

Tufted Titmouse. Photo by Glen Tepke

Results are also available by New England state and county for the three species surveyed. One fascinating data point: Tufted Titmouse was never recorded on Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket during the time period of the survey. Cardinals were reported although rarely. Today, titmice have yet to be reported on Nantucket; numbers of titmice have been slowly increasing on the Vineyard Christmas Bird Counts since 2005.

Please contact Mass Audubon for more information about the results of this survey.

In 1988 Focus on Feeders was born, and participants were asked to report all visitors to their bird feeders. See the 2008 Focus on Feeders results, and learn more about past Focus on Feeders events.