Dear Ontbirders, West Elgin had its bird count on December 27, 2004, with 81 counters participating. Weather was generally overcast with extremely cold temperatures in the morning (-23C) warming up to a high of -1C in the afternoon. Deep snow was encountered in nearly all locations and made walking very difficult. The West Elgin count has taken place for the past 55 years.
A final total count of 84 species was recorded and included highlights of 1 Pyrrhuloxia (yes, you read correctly - possibly a first for Canada!!!), 1 Varied Thrush (both reported separately on Ontbirds previously and both located on local birdfeeders), 1 Trumpeter Swan, 1 Peregrine Falcon, 1 Turkey Vulture, 2 Northern Goshawks, 1 Merlin, 1 Snowy Owl, 1 Short-eared Owl, 1 Red-headed Woodpecker, 1 Eastern Phoebe, and 1 Savannah Sparrow. A Northern Hawk-Owl was recorded during the count week and was last seen on December 24th east of Dutton, Ontario but did not stay during the massive snow storm we had that day. White-winged Scoters were also seen on December 28th at the Eagle, Ontario pumping station on Lake Erie. High counts were recorded for Golden Eagles (5), Screech Owls (49), Red-bellied Woodpeckers (55), Dark-Eyed Juncoes (2,953) and Fox Sparrows (4). A hawk migration was definitely happening in the morning and early afternoon along Lake Erie as numerous hawks were seen (12 species in all including 15 Bald Eagles, 142 Red-tailed Hawks, 72 Rough-legged Hawks, and 24 Northern Harriers). The only raptor in very short supply was the American Kestrel - only 5 were seen this year - a record low (likely due to deep snow). There were generally disappointing counts of ducks and gulls due to the ice build-up on Lake Erie and local ponds and streams, and most winter finches were not seen this year (Evening & Pine Grosbeaks, Crossbills), but most sparrow species were recorded in higher numbers at local bird feeders or feeding on exposed goldenrod in snow covered fields (11 species in all). A splendid pot-luck dinner was held in the evening and Tom Chatteron of the Sydenham Field Naturalists presented an excellent slide show. Thanks to all the counters - see you next year! Cheers, George Prieksaitis Christmas Bird Count Compiler West Elgin Nature Club West Elgin, Ontario (519)785-0176 ================================================================================================ The information in this email is confidential and may be privileged. It is intended solely for the addressee. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution or action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on it is prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the message or by telephoning 416-943-2084 in Toronto or 1-866-872-6363 from anywhere in North America and deleting it from your computer. L'information contenue dans ce courriel est confidentielle et peut être privilégiée. Elle est réservée exclusivement au destinataire. Si le lecteur de ce message n'est pas le destinataire prévu, toute divulgation, copie, distribution ou action prise ou abandonnée sur la foi de celui-ci est interdite. Si vous avez reçu cette communication par erreur, veuillez nous en aviser immédiatement en répondant à l'expéditeur ou en téléphonant au 416-943-2084 à Toronto ou au 1-866-872-6363 partout en Amérique du Nord et effacer le message de votre ordinateur.
