December 18
Ian Paterson
The Birds We counted 76 species totaling 31,544 individual birds. [Note: CW indicates a species sighted during count week but not on count day]
In 2003 we had the highest counts in North America for three species:
- American Black Duck (3,820)
- Blue Jay (1,078)
- American Goldfinch (1,331)
This year, the overall number of birds seemed lower than usually, but we were rewarded with some fairly rare sightings. Of note are the Lesser Scaup, Marsh Wren. Red-headed Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe. Hermit Thrush, Nashville Warbler, Pine Warbler, Palm Warbler, Common Yell owthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Fox Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Rufous-sided Towhee.
The Participants: Bush Beaters George Alliston, Margaret Alliston, Peter Austin-Smith Jr., Sherman Boates, Larry Bogan, Soren Bondrup-Nielsen. Dennis Brannen. Gail Davis. Mark Elderkin. Trina Fitzgerald. Harold Forsyth, George Forsyth. Bernard Forsythe, Glenys Gibson, Jamie Gibson, Merritt Gibson. Pat Hawes, Tom Herman, Dennis Hippern. Dave Johnson, Patrick Kelly, Angus MacLean, Stella MacLean. Randy Milton, Teriy Milton. Adele Mullie. Joe Nocera, Mike O’Brien, Mick O’Neill. Ian Paterson, Barry Sabean, Sarah Sabean, Dave Shutler. Peter Smith, P.C. Smith. Richard Stern, Elizabeth Stern. Phil Taylor, Bill Thexton, Brenda Thexton, Chuck Thompson. Jean Timpa, Judy Tufts. Rick Whitman, Sherman Williams. Jim Wolford. Barry Yoell.
Bushbeater groups spent 151.4 hours in the field: 97.5 on foot, 50.5 by ear. and Larry Bogan logged 1.5 hours by bicycle! The field crews covered 841.4km: 171.9 on foot, 659.5 by car, and Lany went 10km on his bike.
The Participants: Feeder Watchers Agar Adamson, Jim Amos. Diana Anderson. Diana Bishop, Sharon Borden, Carol & Ron Buckley. Nancy & Scott Burbidge. Lana Churchill, Sandy Connelly, Chris Cox, Graham Daborn, Debbie & Jim Daigle, Pat Davis. Pat Dix, Betty Eaton, Paul Elderkin. Wendy Elliott, Mary Ellis, VaT & Bob Flecknell, George F. Forsyth, Hilma Frank, Charlotte Harper, Eileen Harris, Sharon Harris. Lorna Hart. Avril & John Harwood, Pat Hawes, Heather & Terry Hennigar, Gail Herbin. Maxine Hill, Marg & Bob Home. Jsobel Horton, Winnie Horton. J.P. Huang, Lana Jsenor, Sandy Kempton, Del & Clint (Mac) Maclnnes, Janet MacWha. Ron Margeson, Shirley & Don Marston, Pat Martell, Jessie Martin. Rosaleen McDonald. Terry Murphy, Edna Miitch, Linda & Andy Nette, Nancy Nickerson, Linda & Terry Pearson, Dorothy Perkin, Mary Pratt, Ladny Richmond, Marg Russell. Linda Sacouman, Ruth Scott, Helen Shaw, Steve Slipp, Sandy Stevens. Brenda & Bill Thexton, Dianne Thorpe, Judy Tufts, Deanna & Eva Urban, Lynn (Kotze) Walker. Gertrude Waseem, Tami & Mitch & Neil & Harry Whiston, Jim Wolford, Jean Wood, Betty Yoell.
Feeder watchers spent a total of 107.3 hours watching 67 feeders.
| Great Blue Heron | 9 |
| Canada Goose | 359 |
| American Wigeon | CW |
| American Black Duck | 2,009 |
| Mallard | 452 |
| Northern Pintail | 2 |
| Ring-necked Duck | 2 |
| Greater Scaup | 2 |
| Lesser Scaup | CW |
| Common Eider | 53 |
| White-winged Scoter | 4 |
| Black Scoter | 9 |
| Common Goldeneye | 18 |
| Common Merganser | 21 |
| Bald Eagle adult immature unknown age |
243 169 69 5 |
| Northern Harrier | 6 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 4 |
| Northern Goshawk | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 124 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 4 |
| Merlin | 2 |
| Ring-necked Pheasant | 181 |
| Ruffed Grouse | 22 |
| Bonaparte’s Gull | 1 |
| Ring-billed Gull | 17 |
| Herring Gull | 3,217 |
| Iceland Gull | 2 |
| Great Black-backed Gull | 999 |
| Mourning Dove | 800 |
| Rock Pigeon | 377 |
| Barred Owl | 2 |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | 1 |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | 7 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 122 |
| Hairy Woodpecker | 66 |
| Northern Flicker | 54 |
| Pileated Woodpecker | 20 |
| Eastern Phoebe | 1 |
| Blue Jay | 748 |
| American Crow | 2541 |
| Common Raven | 203 |
| Horned Lark | 73 |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 1,328 |
| Boreal Chickadee | 13 |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | 106 |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | 54 |
| Brown Creeper | 2 |
| Marsh Wren | 1 |
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | 113 |
| Hermit Thrush | 1 |
| American Robin | 74 |
| Northern Mockingbird | 2 |
| European Starling | 13,278 |
| Cedar Waxwing | 26 |
| Nashville Warbler | 1 |
| Pine Warbler | 1 |
| Palm Warbler | 1 |
| Common Yellowthroat | CW |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | CW |
| American Tree Sparrow | 81 |
| Chipping Sparrow | 13 |
| Savannah Sparrow | 40 |
| Fox Sparrow | CW |
| Song Sparrow | 367 |
| Swamp Sparrow | 5 |
| White-throated Sparrow | 73 |
| White-crowned Sparrow | CW |
| Dark-eyed (Slate-coloured) Junco | 446 |
| Snow Bunting | 55 |
| Northern Cardinal | 3 |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak | 1 |
| Red-winged Blackbird | 2 |
| Common Grackle | 1 |
| Purple Finch | 139 |
| White-winged Crossbill | 22 |
| Common Redpoll | 46 |
| Pine Siskin | 60 |
| American Goldfinch | 1,679 |
| Evening Grosbeak | 60 |
| House Sparrow | 421 |
| Scaup sp. | 1 |
| gull sp. | 260 |
| warbler sp. | 1 |
| Rufous-sided Towhee | CW |