Birders, Through the 2018-2019 winter birding season, a period running from December 1, 2018 through February 28, 2019, a total of 201 species were reported in Ontario. This represented a roughly average year, tying for fifth place of twelve winters that I have data for. The highest single-season winter list total is 223 species from 2011-2012, while the lowest is 189 from 2009-2010. The median value is 201 species, while the mean (average) value is 204 species in the twelve years I have data for.
Since my last update to Ontbirds on January 3, 2019, only four additional have been added to this winter's total. However, a new species for the all-time winter list was reported among these four species, that being the Lazuli Bunting at a feeder in Ottawa. Not only was this the first winter record of Lazuli Bunting in Ontario, it is the first record outside the date range of 10 May – 18 June, based on accepted records by the OBRC. The other new additions to the list since my last update included Gray Partridge in several locations in Ottawa, Purple Sandpiper at Erieau, Chatham-Kent, and Yellow-headed Blackbirds in Comber, Essex and the Old Cut field station, Norfolk. In addition to the Lazuli Bunting there were three other additions this past winter to the all-time Ontario winter list. These included Canada’s first ever Great Kiskadee at Rondeau Provincial Park which was seen sporadically until December 9, a Western Kingbird found on the Long Point CBC near Turkey Point on December 15, and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo found at Tommy Thompson Park, Toronto on December 15. Some of the other highlights from the 2018-2019 winter season included a deceased Dovekie, multiple Slaty-backed Gulls, White-eyed Vireo, 14 species of warbler including Northern Waterthrush, Hooded Warbler and Audubon’s Yellow-rumped Warbler, Eurasian Collared-Doves, Western Grebe, Tree and Northern Rough-legged Swallow, and Summer Tanager. Some of this winter’s misses included Harris’s Sparrow (seen in 11 of previous 11 winters), Black-legged Kittiwake (10 of 11), Osprey (9 of 11), Eurasian Wigeon (8 of 11), California Gull (8 of 11), Blue-winged Teal (7 of 11), Blue-headed Vireo (7 of 11), Wilson’s Warbler (7 of 11), Pacific Loon (6 of 11), Eared Grebe (6 of 11), Black-headed Gull (6 of 11), Barn Owl (6 of 11), Yellow-throated Warbler (6 of 11) and Spotted Towhee (6 of 11). The list can be viewed at http://tinyurl.com/myyulvs . I have also provided a link on my blog, located at http://joshvandermeulen.blogspot.ca/p/ontario-winter-bird-list.html . As always, please send me an email if you know of a sighting of one of the missing species observed between December 1, 2018 and February 28, 2019, or if you see any errors in the spreadsheet either from this winter or from winters past. Good birding, Josh Vandermeulen Niagara Falls, Ontario joshvandermeulen.blogspot.com _______________________________________________ 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
