Hello birders, The Pickering CBC was conducted by the Pickering Naturalists on Saturday January 4, 2014. The count is located in Durham Region, Ontario, at latitude 43.902 degrees North, and longitude 79.097 degrees West. This count was initiated by Dr. J. Murray Speirs on Jan. 2, 1949, and has been carried out for 61 years (with an unfortunate hiatus of 5 years from 1995 to 1999). Sorry for the very late posting.
Our count day was sunny until after 10 am, then cloudy until 3 pm, and then shifted to mostly cloudy from 4 pm until sunset. Winds were very strong from approximately the southwest, ranging from 21 to 36 km per hour, with gusts of 37 to 50 km per hour - somewhat sub-optimal! Otherwise, mild conditions prevailed, with temperatures increasing from -5 degrees C at sunrise to -1 by sunset, but the wind chill ranged from -12 at daybreak to -7 at dusk. Ponds were well-frozen, and creeks were frozen with occasional open patches in areas of strong current. The shoreline of Lake Ontario had some ice build-up due to a prolonged cold snap, and the extreme wind made waterfowl counts challenging. A total of 67 species were tallied, about equal to our average of 66.4 species per count for the last 14 years. Our highest count for this period was 77 species on Dec. 30, 2012. The number of individual birds counted was quite low at 11, 669. This result was much lower than on our three previous counts, which ranged from 25, 638 to 31, 352. Observer effort was 78.5 hours, somewhat above our fourteen-year average of 74.3 hours per count. There were 33 observers divided into 13 to 14 areas, plus 4 feeder watchers. Owling was limited to 0.8 hours in one area. No new species were added on this CBC. We had our second-ever record of Thayer's Gull. This species was previously reported on Dec. 26, 1992, when 2 were seen, and was also noted for the count week re the CBC of Dec. 26, 1993. Not an additional species, but nonetheless new for the CBC, was a hybrid Mallard x Northern Pintail, seen in the southeast area, east of Duffins Creek. Record-high counts were made for 4 species. Distressingly, the Mute Swan count was up, with 44 of these disruptive alien waterfowl seen, all in the vicinity of Frenchman's Bay. The previous maximum record was 40 on Jan. 2, 2012. A count of 97 for Gadwall was very high, exceeding the previous record of 59 on last year's CBC. Increased access to shoreline areas for observers this year was helpful. Not unexpectedly, the count for Wild Turkeys continued to increase. Our new maximum is 139, superseding the count of 93 on last year's CBC. We tallied 4 Common Ravens this year, the maximum number since this species was first reported on Jan. 3, 2009 (2 birds). Two or 3 have been noted annually on the CBC since then, in the vicinity of Greenwood and near the northern border with Uxbridge. Second-highest counts were obtained for an additional four species. For Greater Scaup, the count was 2363, and the maximum record of 2439 was reported on Jan. 2, 2012. The Eastern Bluebird count of 11 was just slightly off the maximum tally of 13 on Dec. 17, 2006 and also Jan. 2, 2011. Our only other previous CBC records were singles on Dec. 28, 2003 and Dec. 30, 2012. The count of 6 Northern Mockingbirds was slightly below our maximum count of 8 on last year's CBC. Red-winged Blackbirds put in a strong showing, with 53 birds. The maximum count was 63 on Dec. 27, 1971. Counts for two species tied the second-highest records: Red-bellied Woodpecker (6) and Red-breasted Nuthatch (20). Red-bellied Woodpecker was first recorded on Dec. 26, 1975, with a maximum count of 7 on last year's CBC. For Red-breasted Nuthatch, the maximum count was 24 on Jan. 2, 2011. There were three additional noteworthy species. A Lesser Black-backed Gull was just the fifth record, with a highest count of 2 on Dec. 17, 2000. Chipping Sparrow (1) has only been reported 5 times previously, all between Dec. 30, 1961 and Dec. 26, 1986. All of these sightings involved single birds, aside from the 2 that were seen on Dec. 27, 1976. One Common Grackle was the first seen on a CBC since Dec. 26, 1991. Low counts for 7 species bear some discussion. Only 1 Trumpeter Swan was seen, well below the 14-year average of 10. The Canada Goose count was very low at 2498. This tally was only 29% of our 14-year average of 8,641. This reduced goose count was a significant factor in the overall low number of individuals for this year's CBC. The Common Merganser count of 8 was likewise very low, with a tally that was only 11% of our 14-year average of 76. This was the lowest CBC count for the species since Dec. 26, 1983. The other low counts all feature introduced species, or at least birds not native to eastern North America. At 216 birds, the tally for Rock Pigeon was the lowest in two decades, and the 3rd lowest ever. The 14-year average is 541. European Starling numbers were also very low at 279, just 18% of the 14-year average of 1570. Our only other CBC in the last 50 years with a lower tally involved 174 on Jan. 2, 2005. Yet another species seen in reduced numbers was House Finch - the count of 59 was the lowest CBC tally since Dec. 26, 1987. This year's count was only 40% of the 14-year average of 146. And last, and perhaps least, the count of House Sparrows was the lowest since the CBC of Dec. 26, 1960! This year's tally of 78 was only about one quarter of the average of 283 for the last 14 years. In conclusion, a big thanks to all of our field observers and feeder watchers, especially Jonathan and Rosemary Oliver, who once again hosted the CBC wrap-up. Our hard-working CBC compiler is Glenda Jones, who has kept us effective, efficient and effortlessly frostbite-free for 6 years! Good (winter) birding, Steve LaForest _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup
