A day away from 2023 the Ontario winter bird list stands at 210, following the addition of 46 new species since my last update on December 5, 2022. Last winter season at this time the list had 216 species. In 2020-2021 the list was 202 species. It is unlikely that the all-time record of 229 (from last season) will be surpassed.
The new additions since my last update include King Eider, Brant, Virginia Rail, Sora, Green Heron, House Wren, Mountain Bluebird, Orange-crowned Warbler, Palm Warbler, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. There are a handful of species that are typically reported in a given winter that are still missing from this winter’s list. Missing species include Northern Hawk Owl (seen 15/15 last winters), Boreal Owl (14/15), Eastern Meadowlark (15/15) and Gyrfalcon (15/15). I hope we can add these species in the next two months. The list can be viewed at http://tinyurl.com/myyulvs <http://tinyurl.com/myyulvs>. Check out the OFO website for winter bird trips http://www.ofo.ca/site/tripsupcoming. Winter bird trips include: - January 7, Toronto Winter Birds, Tommy Thompson Park; - January 8, Winter Birds of the Detroit River: Windsor; - February 26, Amherst Island; and - February 26, 2023: Haldimand and Norfolk Counties. The OFO also has a discord group with a Winter bird channel. A link to the OFO discord group is here: https://discord.gg/npbCzXVhZ2. Winter Listers can also keep track of what's being seen in the Ontario Birds Discord Server which can be found here:https://discord.gg/EhvgAc2fwb. I try to update the spreadsheet every couple of days or whenever I hear of a new addition. Please let me know if you hear of a new addition or any other correction to the spreadsheet. Good birding, Todd Hagedorn -- 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.
