Belleville CBC – 27 December 2022 A group of 18 birders and 3 feeder watchers had relatively calm weather conditions for the 20th Belleville CBC after experiencing stormy weather in the days leading up to the December 27th Count Day. They recorded 56 species on Count Day (average 54), with 4 additional Count Week species (American Coot, Peregrine Falcon, American Kestrel and Song Sparrow) for a total of 60 species (about average). Cold temperatures and high wind chill values in the days leading up to the CBC kept much of the Bay of Quinte frozen for Count Day, but there were still a number of Waterfowl in the remaining open water. Less open water than last year may have resulted in Bald Eagle numbers being back down to an average of 3, after last year’s record 10.
Total individuals were 6777 (Average 7000/ Max 12,768 in 2011). Five species not native to Ontario accounted for 35% of the total numbers; Mute Swan 71 (1%), Rock Pigeon 494 (7%), House Sparrow 164 (2.5%), House Finch 59 (0.9%) and European Starling 1594 (23.5%). Noteworthy species seen on Count Day include a Ruddy Duck (1st record), 4 Trumpeter Swans (1st record), 2 Horned Grebes (2nd record, 2002) and a Double-crested Cormorant (4th record). Pleasant predawn conditions resulted in Owlers locating 2 Eastern Screech Owls, 2 Barred Owls and 7 Great Horned Owls (record 8 in 2014). Notable New high counts (New/Previous); Horned Grebe (2/1), Wild Turkey (74/69), Red-bellied Woodpecker (9/7), Common Raven (30, tied with 2021) and Northern Cardinal (120/83). New low counts; Rock Pigeon 494 (average 1000, highest 1492 in 2010), American Black Duck 1 (tied, highest 41 in 2015), Northern Shrike 1 (tied), The addition of Ruddy Duck and Trumpeter Swan to the cumulative species list of 20 years of Belleville CBC’s since 2002 (No Count in 2020 due to Covid) brings the total to 104. Notable misses: Wood duck, Bufflehead, Great blue Heron, Ruffed grouse, Greater Black-backed Gull, Snowy owl, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Purple Finch, Pine Grosbeaks and Evening Grosbeaks. A big Thankyou to everyone involved in making the 2022 Belleville CBC a success. Tom Wheatley Belleville CBC Compiler Get Outlook for Android<https://aka.ms/AAb9ysg> -- 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.
