65th Pickering CBC – December 29, 2018 We held our 65th Christmas Bird Count for Pickering on Saturday December 29, 2018. The count was sponsored by Pickering Naturalists. A total of 74 species were tallied, well above our 10-year average of 68.3 species. The highest count of the last decade was 77 species in 2012. This year, there were 42 field observers and 9 feeder watchers. These participants tallied 13, 496 individual birds, well below our average of 17, 029 for the last 5 years (10-year average currently unavailable). The 10 teams (generally split up into 15 groups) were a-field all day, amassing 86.6 hours of high quality birding time, plus 1 group who spent a further 2.8 hours owling into the wee small hours.
After a period of relatively balmy conditions, Pickering experienced a hard freeze immediately before count day. Although temperatures had only dropped to minus 1 by 5:00 am, they kept right on falling to just minus 5 at sunset, and a low of minus 8.3 by 10:00 pm. Temperatures were the least of our worries. With winds of up to 30 gusting to 39 km/hr (wind chill to minus 12), we were in the grips of a mean norwester all morning. It did eventually calm down – by 11:00 pm. Cloudy skies in the morning, with a brief very light snowfall for an hour or so, gave way to bright sun from 3:00 pm to dusk. Creeks were flowing freely but the marshes were mostly frozen, as was the ground. Despite some snow cover earlier in the week, virtually every trace of the white stuff had vanished by the morning of Dec. 29th. An overall total of 154 species have been seen on the count since its inception in 1949. (Mathematically-inclined readers will note that the year 1949 does not reconcile with the stated “65th CBC” cited above. Alas, due to a cruel and unjust universe, there was an inexplicable gap of five years from 1995 to 1999 when our CBC failed to occur!) No new species were added in 2018. Unusual sightings for the current CBC included Wood Duck – 1 (fourth record), Eastern Bluebird – 9 (sixth record and our fourth highest), Horned Grebe – 2 (eighth record and ties our second-highest), Hermit Thrush – 1 (tenth record), Northern Goshawk -1 (the first since 2008) and Horned Lark – 2 (the first since 2010). There were quite a few high numbers reported for waterfowl. Gadwall (118) set a new record (previous maximum 97 in 2013) and the White-winged Scoter count of 20 was second only to the tally of 97 in 2013. On the swan front, we have good news and bad news. Trumpeter Swan (34) set at an all-time high – yay (!) (previous maximum 30 in 2011). The despicable M.u.t.e. (Most utterly terrible exotic) Swan was at its second-highest level at 61 (previous maximum 110 in 2017). Perhaps those who wish to wage war on our maligned native cormorants would do better to target these invasive and highly destructive waterfowl? Two blackbirds and one “black” bird did well. We had our second-highest tally of Brown-headed Cowbirds (171, maximum 216 in 2000) and Common Grackle (2), seen for only the third time since 1991, with the first multiple sighting. At 10 birds, Common Ravens conspired successfully to reach the third-highest count (maximum 17 in 2017). Eight Red-wingeds and four Rustys rounded out our icterid numbers. Notable misses for this year’s Count included Great Horned Owl (found on 42 CBCs) and Ruffed Grouse (observed on 50 CBCs, but irregular since about 2004 - an ongoing decline with local urbanization a likely factor). Low tallies were recorded for several species of waterfowl. The sudden freeze-up may have been a factor. Canada Goose (5195 – only about half of the 10-year average of 10, 313), American Black Duck (21 – only about half of the 10-year average of 44) and Mallard (388 - only about one third of the 10-year average of 1238). Feeder birds were also generally scarce – especially American Tree Sparrow (23, one-tenth of the 10-year average of 225). House Finch (38, about one quarter of the 10-year average of 123) was also low. Doubtless the lack of snow (and perhaps a reduction in stocked feeders if residents thought it less necessary to feed) reduced the numbers observed for many feeder birds. American Crow was also low (72 – about one-fifth of the 10-year average of 349). Six species were recorded in count week (but peevishly did not show themselves on count day). Greater White-fronted Goose (seen only once on the CBC, with 2 birds in 2012), Snow Goose (seen on 9 CBCs), Cackling Goose (seen on 5 CBCs), Iceland Gull (seen on 26 CBCs), Carolina Wren (seen on 7 CBCs) and Pine Grosbeak (seen on 17 CBCs). The Pickering CBC was initiated by Dr. J. Murray Speirs on Jan. 2, 1949, and has been carried out for 65 years. The count area extends from the shores of Lake Ontario north to the Oak Ridges moraine. It is centred at latitude 43.902 degrees north, and longitude 79.097 degrees west. The CBC area incorporates the neighbouring community of Ajax, as well as portions of Lynde Shores Conservation Area, including part of Cranberry Marsh, in Durham Region. Please visit our website at www.pickeringnaturalists.org for more information on our club. A warm thank-you is extended to all of the field counters and feeder watchers. We particularly appreciate the hospitality of Jonathan and Rosemary Oliver who host our wrap-up – and let us visit their outstanding feeding station! Our committed CBC compiler is Glenda Jones, energetically assisted by Dan Shire and Karen McKillop. Carolyn King provided much additional research, and yours truly endured blood, sweat and tears (apologies to DCT) for each and every agonizing data point. Sorry for the very late posting. Steve LaForest Pickering Naturalists _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide Visit the OFO Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists
