Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Final results Dunrobin,On.-Breckenridge, PQ. Christmas Bird Count



2011/12 REPORT
The 31st Annual Dunrobin (ON) - Breckenridge (QC) Christmas Bird Count took place on Thursday, December 29, 2011. A total of 35 field observers and 7 feeder watchers recorded 50 species and 8,430 individuals. 

Weather Conditions:
A very cold day. If you were a polar bear you would have felt at home!  With an overnight low of -19c the temperature dropped to -21c at dawn and a wind chill of -30c!  Over the course of the day the temperature remained around -17c with a wind chill of -24c.   The winds were mainly from the W for most of the day at 15 km and skies were partly cloudy. 
A week earlier the Ottawa River was wide open but froze over just prior to the count.  On the day of the count, a few some small creeks and storm sewer outlets were open in the Kanata North area and there were a couple of small opening on the Ottawa River. The cone crop was again poor over most of the count circle but there was still a good berry crop including Mountain Ash, Buckthorn, and Crab-apple.

Sunrise: 7:42 a.m.
Sunset: 4:27 p.m.

Species:
Despite the extreme cold and quiet start it was a fun day in the field. Like the past couple of years, not a lot of activity but definitely lots of interesting observations.   Again, the few bird feeders that were full of seed had good concentrations of birds. The empty feeder syndrome continues in eastern Ontario?  Not sure why! 
 There were no new species found so both Boreal Owl and Northern Mockingbird are still likely candidates for next year.  A number of interesting observations were made, including:  Canada Goose, Bald Eagle, Snowy Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl and Brown-headed Cowbird.



 New Species: No new species and the overall total remains at 110 species.

 

Record Highs:
Previous Highs are shown in parentheses followed by year.
·         Cooper’s Hawk 6 (4,3yrs.)
·         Merlin 3 (2,06,07)
·         American Robin 253 (34, 2004)


Tied Record Highs:
Previous record year in parentheses.
                                                                   Fox Sparrow 1 (1995)


Winter Finches:
·         Pine Grosbeak (1)
·         Purple Finch (5)
·         White-winged Crossbill (5)
·         Red Crossbill (0)
·         Common Redpoll (4)
·         Hoary Redpoll (0)
·         Pine Siskin (181)
·         American Goldfinch (861)
·         Evening Grosbeak (0)




A few Dunrobin-Breckenridge statistics:

Total Species:
·         Record High 68 (2001)
·         Record Low 32 (1999)
Total Individuals:
·         Record High 12,554 (1986)
·         Record Low 798 (1999)


I would like to thank the field observers and sector leaders for their great effort and my wife, Laurie, for preparing the wonderful post-count supper and to all participants who brought deserts, food and wine to celebrate the 31st anniversary!

The tentative date for the 32nd annual Dunrobin-Breckenridge CBC is Saturday, January 5, 2013, hope to see you there!

If you wish to see the results from all of the CBC's since they began, visit the Audubon Society Website.

Good birding,
Bruce Di Labio
Dunrobin-Breckenridge CBC Compiler




Species Number Records Comments
Canada Goose 9
American Black Duck 3
Mallard 20
Ruffed Grouse 9 low
Wild Turkey 100
Bald Eagle 6  
Sharp-shinned Hawk 3
Cooper's Hawk 6 * Record High
Northern Goshawk 1 scarce nowadays
Red-tailed Hawk 13
Rough-legged Hawk 6
Merlin 3 * Record High
Rock Pigeon 491
Mourning Dove 222    
Great Horned Owl 1 low
Snowy Owl 1 scarce nowadays
Barred Owl 1
Northern Saw-whet Owl 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 3rd record
Downy Woodpecker 52
Hairy Woodpecker 62
Pileated Woodpecker 11    
Northern Shrike 12
Blue Jay 276
American Crow 904
Common Raven 107
Horned Lark 1
Black-capped Chickadee 1280
Red-breasted Nuthatch 22  
White-breasted Nuthatch 85
Brown Creeper 6
American Robin 253 * Record High
European Starling 920    
Bohemain Waxwing 195
Cedar Waxwing 123
Lapland Longspur 3
Snow Bunting 1786
American Tree Sparrow 140
Fox Sparrow 1 *** ties Record High
Dark-eyed Junco 119    
Northern Cardinal 35
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
Pine Grosbeak 1
Purple Finch 5
House Finch 3
White-winged Crossbill 5
Common Redpoll 4
Pine Siskin 181
American Goldfinch 861
House Sparrow 79
Total Species:  50
Total Individuals:  8,430
Record High*
New Record**
Ties Record High***



           SPECIES RECORD  YEAR NUMBER OF FIRST YEAR LAST YEAR
HIGH YEARS RECORDED RECORDED
RECORDED
1 Canada Goose 284 1989 14 1983 2011a
2 Wood Duck 1 2006 1 2006 2006
3 American  Black Duck 148 1987 27 1982 2011a
4 Mallard 116 2011 28 1982 2011a
5 Northern Pintail 1 1994 1 1994 1994
6 Green-winged Teal 1 1994 1 1994 1994
7 Ring-necked Duck 2 94,06 2 1994 2006
8 Lesser Scaup 3 1993 4 1988 1994
9 White-winged Scoter 6 2006 1 2006 2006
10 Common Goldeneye 58 2006 8 1983 2006
11 Hooded Merganser 2 1993 6 1984 2006
12 Common Merganser 36 2001 8 1985 2006
13 Red-breasted Merganser 1 2001 1 2001 2001
14 Gray Partridge 61 1984 15 1982 2000a
15 Ring-necked Pheasant 1 1997 1 1997 1997
16 Ruffed Grouse 65 1989a 30 1982 2011a
17 Wild Turkey 228 2010 12 2000 2011a
18 Common Loon 1 2001 1 2001 2001
19 Red-necked Grebe 1 2001 1 2001 2001
20 Great Blue Heron 2 2011 7 1990 2011
21 Bald Eagle 9 2001 15 1983 2011a
22 Northern Harrier 3 2001 4 1994 2011
23 Sharp-shinned Hawk 5 2000 22 1982 2011a
24 Cooper's Hawk 6 2011a 17 1984 2011a
25 Northern Goshawk 6 1991 26 1982 2010
26 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 98,07,09 3 1998 2009
27 Red-tailed Hawk 40 2006 31 1982 2011a
28 Rough-legged Hawk 31 1988 26 1982 2011a
29 American Kestrel 17 1988 27 1982 2011
30 Merlin 3 2011a 6 1991 2011a
31 Gyrfalcon 1 94,95 2 1994 1995
32 American Coot 1 1993 1 1993 1993
33 Wilson's Snipe 1 1988 1 1988 1988
34 Ring-billed Gull 3 2000 3 2000 2011
35 Herring Gull 1225 2001 15 1983 2011
36 Iceland Gull 4 2000 4 1997 2004a
37 Glaucous Gull 15 2000 6 1995 2004a
38 Great Black-backed Gull 301 2001 10 1987 2011
39 Rock Pigeon 845 2002 31 1982 2011a
40 Mourning Dove 577 2002 31 1982 2011a
41 Eastern Screech-Owl 3 2005 11 1986 2007
42 Great Horned Owl 53 1988 30 1982 2011a
43 Snowy Owl 6 1988 12 1982 2011a
44 Northern Hawk Owl 2 88,01 9 1982 2011
45 Barred Owl 9 2011 26 1982 2011a
46 Great Gray Owl 6 2004a 5 1984 2009
47 Long-eared Owl 3 1982 8 1982 2000a
48 Short-eared Owl 5 1982 3 1982 1994
49 Northern Saw-whet Owl 2 88,89,11 10 1983 2011a
50 Belted Kingfisher 1  88,98,11 3 1988 2011
51 Red-headed Woodpecker 2 2005 2 2004a 2005
52 Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 2011 3 1989 2011a
53 Downy Woodpecker 89 1984 31 1982 2011a
54 Hairy Woodpecker 134 1984 31 1982 2011a
55 Am.Three-toed Woodpecker 6 1998 11 1983 2006
56 Black-backed Woodpecker 6 2000 19 1982 2006
57 Northern Flicker 2  95,95a 12 1982 2011
58 Pileated Woodpecker 29 2002 31 1982 2011a
59 Northern Shrike 25 1988 31 1982 2011a
60 Gray Jay 1 83,95 2 1983 1995
61 Blue Jay 566 1995 31 1982 2011a
62 American Crow 1024 2007 31 1982 2011a
63 Common Raven 167 2001 31 1982 2011a
64 Horned Lark 399 2001 29 1982 2011a
65 Black-capped Chickadee 1859 1983 31 1982 2011a
66 Boreal Chickadee 6 1987 10 1982 2005
67 Red-breasted Nuthatch 213 2000a 31 1982 2011a
68 White-breasted Nuthatch 179 2002 31 1982 2011a
69 Brown Creeper 41 2000a 30 1982 2011a
70 Carolina Wren 1 1988 1 1988 1988
71 Winter Wren 1 1993 2 1993 2004
72 Golden-crowned Kinglet 71 1983 24 1982 2011
73 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 1995 1 1995 1995
74 Eastern Bluebird 6 1999 1 1999 1999
75 Hermit Thrush 1 2001 1 2001 2001
76 American Robin 253 2011a 23 1982 2011a
77 Gray Catbird 1 2007 1 2007 2007
78 Brown Thrasher 1 10,11 2 2010 2011
79 Varied Thrush 1 1988 1 1988 1988
80 European Starling 1196 2002 31 1982 2011a
81 Bohemian Waxwing 1315 2009 22 1982 2011a
82 Cedar Waxwing 273 2002 11 1985 2011a
83 Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 1983 1 1983 1983
84 American Tree Sparrow 316 1983 30 1982 2011a
85 Savannah Sparrow 1 2000 1 2000 2000
86 Fox Sparrow 1  95,11a 2 1995 2011a
87 Song Sparrow 6 1997 21 1983 2011
88 Swamp Sparrow 1  88,93 2 1988 1993
89 White-throated Sparrow 2 1997 9 1983 2011
90 White-crowned Sparrow 1 2006 1 2006 2006
91 Dark-eyed Junco 154 1985 31 1982 2011a
92 Lapland Longspur 31 1995 19 1982 2011a
93 Snow Bunting 4040 1986 31 1982 2011a
94 Northern Cardinal 79 2002 29 1982 2011a
95 Red-winged Blackbird 4 1999 9 1983 2011
96 Eastern Meadowlark 2 87,97,98 5 1982 2002
97 Rusty Blackbird 1 87,88,97 3 1987 1997
98 Common Grackle 2 82,00 9 1982 2001
99 Brown-headed Cowbird 11 1993 6 1982 2011a
100 Pine Grosbeak 277 2009 19 1982 2011a
101 Purple Finch 170 1993 16 1983 2011a
102 House Finch 107 1993 22 1988 2011a
103 Red Crossbill 10 1991 7 1982 2001
104 White-winged Crossbill 649 1989a 20 1982 2011a
105 Common Redpoll 2769 1994 25 1982 2011a
106 Hoary Redpoll 4 86,07 13 1982 2011
107 Pine Siskin 949 2000a 26 1982 2011a
108 American Goldfinch 1360 1995 31 1982 2011a
109 Evening Grosbeak 1931 1988 25 1982 2011
110 House Sparrow 1293 1983 31 1982 2011a




Friday, January 27, 2012

January 27 and 29, 2012 Fork-tailed Flycatcher in Florida

After reading a number of posts about a Fork-tailed Flycatcher near Ruskin, Florida I decided to take a quick run over to look for it since I was in the area for a few days. We arrived at 3:00pm and after a short while spotted the flycatcher at a distance sitting on a fence line. Had good views through the scope before it disappeared. At around 3:45pm it reappeared at the end of Lost River Trail and sat in one of its favorite trees and put on a wonderful display fly-catching. At that point we noticed that one of its outer tail feathers was missing. This was a first for my North America list, #715.



Fork-tailed Flycatcher

Fork-tailed flycatcher missing outer tail feather. 

Coming in for a landing. 

Perched in one of its favorite trees, the Fork-tailed Flycatcher would sit for a while before fly catching. 

The Fork-tailed flycatcher is a casual visitor to eastern North America. Most records are from the spring and fall season but a few occur during winter in Florida and Texas. 





Spent a couple of hours birding Fort DeSoto on January 29th. With the great weather there were lots of visitors to the park. At the North Beach a small number of shorebirds were noted including 16 Red Knot, 6 Black-bellied Plover and 3 Wilson's Plover. In the nearby woods, both Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers were plentiful, flitting about feeding.




American Oystercatcher

American Oystercatcher  feeding.

Forster's Tern stretching.

A Loggerhead Shrike waits for the right moment.

It changes perches before it strikes its prey.

A successful catch! 

A young  Royal  Tern still begging for food. 

Winter plumage Ruddy Turnstone feeding on the beach.

Willet


Turkey Vultures were very common. 

Wilson's Plover