The Woodstock Christmas Bird Count has been held in mid- to late December every year since 1934. The 88th annual Woodstock Christmas Bird Count was held on December 26th, 2021. Despite covid, we managed to assemble 28 field observers and 2 feeder watchers who together reported 50,382 birds of 67 species (plus 2 count week species; above the average of 62 species seen per year in the past 32 years).
Five high counts were recorded: Tundra Swan (20, previous high count 7), Lesser Black-backed Gull (2, previous high 1), Northern Saw-whet Owl (2, previous high 1), Pileated Woodpecker (9, previous high 6) and White-throated Sparrow (38, previous high 28)). The weather on count day was excellent for birding with low winds and no precipitation. The count week Eastern Phoebe found by Scott Gillingwater was our rarest bird and new for the count. Birds recorded on 12 or fewer counts included: Tundra Swan (4th count), Green-winged Teal (11th count, lingering group of 4 birds), Sandhill Crane (9th count, now annual), Iceland Gull (eighth count), Lesser Black-backed Gull (fifth count), Glaucous Gull (sixth count), Snowy Owl (count week, seen on 3 previous counts), Northern Saw-whet Owl (third count), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (fifth count), Common Raven (third count), Carolina Wren (tenth count), Common Yellowthroat (third count), Yellow-rumped Warbler (fifth count), Chipping Sparrow (fifth count), Rusty Blackbird (eighth count). Data for all counts are posted for download on the Woodstock Field Naturalists' website: http://www.woodstockfieldnaturalists.org. 133 species have been recorded on count day (137 count week) since the inception of the count. -- Jeff Skevington, Research Scientist Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 960 Carling Avenue, K.W. Neatby Building Ottawa, ON, K1A 0C6, Canada Phone: 613-720-2862 E-mail: [email protected] -- Ontbirds and Birdnews are moderated email Listservs provided by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) as a service to all birders in Ontario. Birdnews is reserved for announcements, location summaries, first of year reports, etc. To post a message on Birdnews, send an email to: [email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Birdnews Moderators by email at [email protected]. Please review posting rules and guidelines at http://ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines During the COVID-19 pandemic, all Ontario birders should be taking extra precautions and following local, provincial, and federal regulations regarding physical distancing and non-essential travel. To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
