----- Original Message -----
From: tom thomas
To: Subject: Hamilton CBC preliminary results
Hello,
Here are the preliminary results of the 2007 Hamilton Christmas Bird
Count, held on December 26th. 2007.
On a cool -4 degrees C, relatively calm but foggy morning, 85
participants set out to count birds in the field, at the lake, or at their
birdfeeders. The temperature settled in for most of the day at -2 degrees C.
There was a hint of hoar frost on the pines and the tall weeds, and it was
tricky underfoot on some of the woodland trails. In some of the outlying areas
it was too foggy to see or identify birds in flight, and on the lake, counters
had difficulty determining the number of ducks that were scattered over the
lake, with many too far out, and at the limits of the counters ability to
identify them.
The total number of birds counted was 63,046, which is below the
last ten year average of 70,228.
Thanks to the influx of some of the northern finches, we broke the
old individual species count record of 102 set in 2004, by one, so the new
individual species count record now stands at 103.
It also appears that the common woodland and garden species are
becoming even more common with new record counts for the following
species.......
Old Record
New Record
Mourning Dove 1,507
2,040
Black-capped Chickadee 2,109
2,223
Northern Cardinal 598
661
Red-breasted Nuthatch 81
97
American Goldfinch 1,005
1,055
Red-bellied Woodpecker 33
46
Downy Woodpecker 288
316
The number of Hoary Redpolls counted this year ( 5 ) broke the
old record of ( 1 ) seen in 1993.
On the lake and Inland waters we broke count records
for...................
Old Record
New Record
Trumpeter Swan 106
162
Mute Swan 85
89
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1
2
Mallard x American Black Duck 44
48
Red-breasted Merganser 285
331
Hooded Merganser 48
70
Iceland Gull 7
9
There were low counts for the following species.............American
Crow, Horned Lark, Snow Bunting, Brown-headed Cowbird, Purple Finch,
Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Northern Pintail, Greater Scaup, Canvasback,
and Redhead.
We missed on the Wood Duck, and American Wigeon.
Up to this point, only one count week species has been
tallied.........Evening Grosbeak.
Regards......Tom Thomas, Compiler .....Hamilton Christmas
Bird Count..
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