The Orillia CBC took place on Saturday, December 17th. Conditions were very good compared to the last couple of years. The weather was mild ranging from -4 degrees to +2 degrees with light winds. Generally overcast skies with occasional light snow during the day with a few moments of sun in early afternoon. Water was partially frozen with open water at the Narrows where Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe meet as well as off shore of Lake Simcoe allowing for counts of water birds.
In our 9 areas comprising the Orillia Circle, we had 48 field observers as well as input from several feeder watchers particularly in the city of Orillia. When compared to the years since 2005, we set new records for total birds at 11,358 individual birds (previous high was in 2012 at 9711 birds) and a new record for total species at 62 (previous high was 2021 at 58 species). However, all time records going back to 1981 show the records to be 12,108 total individual birds in 1999 and 63 species in 2001! This year we had record highs for 8 species- 17 Bald Eagle, 2520 Herring Gull, 17 Red-bellied Woodpecker, 17 Pileated Woodpecker, 36 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 121 White-breasted Nuthatch, 228 Dark-eyed Junco (slate coloured), and 8 Common Grackle. Thanks to all participants who helped make 2022 another successful count. Fern Splichal -- 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.
