Here are summaries of two Bruce Peninsula CBCs held the weekend before Christmas...
Jarmo Jalava *Neyaashiinigmiing (Cape Croker) CBC* The seventh annual Neyaashiinigmiing (Cape Croker) Christmas Bird Count was held on Saturday, December 16. Snow squalls that started on December 15th continued overnight, affecting pre-dawn owling efforts due to unplowed secondary roads. For the remainder of the day, the 35-50 cm (officially 37 cm) snow cover limited access to many areas normally visited on foot. The waters of Georgian Bay were open, but non-flowing inland waters and parts of sheltered bays were ice-covered. Count weather was otherwise spectacular, with very light winds, scattered clouds and occasional “sunflurries”, with temperatures remaining fairly steady between -8 and -10C. Eighteen participants eked out a record low total of 35 species (previous low 37 in 2013; average 40.5) and 669 individuals (previous 757, also in 2013; average 1041). However, two new species for the count were seen – Lesser Scaup (1) and American Coot (1), raising the composite seven-year total to 77. A count-week Ring-necked Pheasant was also new for the list. All-time high counts were tallied for Canada Goose (3, previous 2), Hairy Woodpecker (8, previous 7) and Northern Cardinal (13, previous 12). Low counts were recorded for European Starling (8, previous 16), and this was the first count with no Snow Buntings, and only the second count during which Great Horned Owl and Red-bellied Woodpecker were not observed. House Sparrows were seen in declining numbers during the first three counts, and have now been absent for four years, mirroring reported trends in other parts of the province. *Wiarton CBC* The 44th Wiarton Christmas Bird Count was held on Sunday, December 17. The waters of Georgian Bay were open, but inland waterbodies were frozen, and shallower waters along much of the Lake Huron coast were ice-covered, in some areas to a distance of many hundreds of metres from shore. Count weather was crisp and cold, with almost no wind, few clouds, with temperatures rising from -16.5 in the early morning (according to Environment Canada; -21C on car thermometers) to -6.2C in the late afternoon. Twenty-four participants and three feeder watchers tallied 50 species (close to the 44-year average of 48.4, and the 10-year average 50.5) and 3,818 individuals (44-year average 3,405, 10-year average 4,135). No new species for the count were reported. A single White-crowned Sparrow visiting a feeder was only the second observation of this species in 44 years, the previous record being from the 2002 count. Winter Wren has been recorded on only three previous counts, with the two birds this year being found at the exact same location as a single bird was seen during the 2016 CBC. All-time highs were tallied for Cooper’s Hawk (3, previous 2), Pileated Woodpecker (12, previous 6), Blue Jay (445, previous 385) and Dark-eyed Junco (70, previous 58). No regularly occurring species had record low counts, but numbers of dabbling ducks, European Starling, House Sparrow and winter finches were well below average (and northern finches, besides Pine Siskin and Purple Finch, were absent). _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - 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 Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide Visit the OFO Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists
