This year marked the 15th Collingwood CBC with a total of 20 field counters and 2 feeder watchers. The Collingwood Circle is centred on Nottawa and encompasses the communities of Collingwood, most of The Blue Mountains, SW portions of Wasaga Beach, Stayner and Singhamption. There is about 27 km of Georgian Bay shoreline, significant tracts of farmland as well as forested portions of the Niagara Escarpment in the circle.
Weather was a significant factor for the 2023 Collingwood CBC, with some obvious outcomes showing up in the species counts. The pre-dawn hours, though foggy, were excellent for owling, however, the rain started as the sun came up and continued with varying intensity through the day, as did the fog. Temperatures were mild, there was no snow on the ground and rivers were running high. Despite the challenges, the group did really well, totalling a respectable 60 species- shy of the record 67 we saw last year but well above the 14-year average of 54 species. We recorded a total of 7383 individuals, well above the 14 year average of 6464. We added 2 new species to the count: Sandhill Crane and Pied-billed Grebe, bringing the all-time species count for the circle up to 106. Unusual Species (US): Lesser Scaup, Sandhill Crane, Common Loon, Pied Billed Grebe, and Northern Flicker. We had new High Counts (HC) for 7 species - these were generally modest increases in HCs, mostly for water birds that were benefitting from the mild weather and a lack of ice on Georgian Bay. These included (with the previous high in parentheses): American Wigeon- 3 (1); Canvasback- 3 (1) ; Redhead-22 (18) ; Greater Scaup- 76 (35) ; Long-tailed Duck- 13 (8) ; Herring Gull- 813 (708) and; N. Flicker- 4 (1). Additionally we had HC ties for two species: E. Screech Owl (10) and; Mute Swan (46). On the other side of the spectrum, we had new Low Counts (LC) for 3 species, another 4 species with their 2nd lowest counts on record and at least another 5 species where their counts were well below average. Some notable misses this year include Ruffed Grouse, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Glaucous Gull, Snowy Owl, and Pileated Woodpecker. These lower numbers of individuals are spread over a range of taxonomic groups including: raptors, gulls, woodpeckers, corvids, nuthatches and sparrows. Many of the CBCs that have reported out this year have noted lower numbers of feeder birds- attributed to the mild, snow free conditions allowing birds to disperse more. This situation was exacerbated by the less than ideal viewing conditions on the 27th. Thanks to everyone on the team for persevering through the rain! Ted Down ONCO Complier Collingwood -- 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.
