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Christmas Bird Count, Woodhouse

Christmas Bird Count, Woodhouse

Compiled by: David Okines

Greetings Counters,

These are the results of the 29th Woodhouse CBC held on December 20th 2015. The Woodhouse CBC is centred 7 km east of Simcoe, at the crossroads of Highway 3 and Cockshutt Road at Renton in Norfolk County and roughly covers from Port Dover to Waterford and just west of Simcoe to east of Jarvis.

The mild weather this year was a change from recent counts but it made the birding harder. Overnight it was mostly clear but cloud cover increased to total cloud cover by late morning and then there were some sunny periods in the afternoon. All standing water was free of ice. Temperatures varied overnight from a high of -3 around midnight to a low of -7 by dawn and then increasing to a daytime high of +5. The wind was mostly calm until the afternoon when it increased slightly.

Total Species: 85 + 1 Count Week
(average for the last 28 years = 81, average for the last 10 years = 85)

Total Individuals: 21,877
(average for the last 28 years = 28,889, average for the last 10 years = 23,783)

# of participants: 39
(up 5 on last year)

NEW SPECIES TO THE COUNT
Sandhill Crane 124
Thayer’s Gull 1

RECORD HIGH – (previous high)
Ring-necked Duck 12 (6)
Red-bellied Woodpecker 49 (44)
Northern Cardinal 352 (352)

RECORD LOW: (previous low)
Rough-legged Hawk 3 (= lowest) Average 14
Northern Shrike 1 (= lowest) Average 4
Field Sparrow 1 (= lowest) Average 3
Lapland Longspur 1 (= lowest) Average 15
Rusty Blackbird 1 (= lowest) Average 7
Common Grackle 1 (2) Average 4
House Finch 79 (108) Average 656

COUNT WEEK SPECIES
Snowy Owl 1 (Recorded 3 times previously)

SPECIES ABOVE AVERAGE
(last 10 year average)
Horned Grebe 4 (0.1)
Tundra Swan 314 (67)
Cackling Goose 12 (6)
Mallard 4160 (1861)
Pintail 3 (1)
Northern Shoveler 8 (4)
American Green-winged Teal 5 (1.5)
Ring-necked Duck 12 (1)
Bufflehead 396 (269)
Hooded Merganser 27 (15)
Bald Eagle 11 (7)
Downy Woodpecker 142 (92)
Pileated Woodpecker 5 (2)
Blue Jay 443 (345)
White-breasted Nuthatch 108 (68)
Brown Creeper 12 (7)
American Robin 34 (16)
Pine Siskin 120 (68)

SPECIES WELL BELOW AVERAGE (last 10 year average)
Great Blue Heron 3 (5)
Redhead 94 (550)
Greater Scaup 13 (141)
Common Goldeneye 75 (154)
Common Merganser 45 (687)
Red-breasted Merganser 159 (715)
Ruddy Duck 2 (7)
Northern Harrier 7 (13)
Herring Gull 118 (165)
Great Black-backed Gull 4 (12)
Rock Pigeon 379 (644)
Mourning Dove 382 (666)
Horned Lark 5 (211)
Red-breasted Nuthatch 6 (14)
European Starling 988 (1809)
Cedar Waxwing 19 (66)
Song Sparrow 17 (59)
White-throated Sparrow 10 (25)
Snow Bunting 80 (600)
Red-winged Blackbird 17 (27)
Brown-headed Cowbird 310 (431)

NOTABLE ABSENTEES
Ruffed Grouse 6th year in a row

ALSO WORTHY OF MENTION
Double-crested Cormorant 1
(4th record)
Snow Goose 1 (10th record)
Wood Duck 1 (9th record)
Northern Goshawk 2 (8th record)
Hairy Woodpecker 22
(best total since 2002)

FULL SPECIES LIST AND TALLY
Horned Grebe 4
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Great Blue Heron 3
Mute Swan 2
Tundra Swan 314
Canada Goose 6168
Cackling Goose 12
Snow Goose 1
Wood Duck 1
Mallard 4160
American Black Duck 155
Gadwall 15
Northern Pintail 3
Northern Shoveler 8
American Green-winged Teal 5
Redhead 94
Ring-necked Duck 12
Greater Scaup 13
Lesser Scaup 400
(Scaup Spp) 20
Common Goldeneye 75
Bufflehead 396
Hooded Merganser 27
Common Merganser 45
Red-breasted Merganser 159
Ruddy Duck 2
Bald Eagle 11
Northern Harrier 7
Sharp-shinned Hawk 6
Cooper’s Hawk 6
Northern Goshawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 122
Rough-legged Hawk 3
American Kestrel 17
Wild Turkey 116
Sandhill Crane 124
Bonaparte’s Gull 94
Ring-billed Gull 1430
Herring Gull 118
Thayers Gull 1
Great Black-backed Gull 4
Rock Pigeon 379
Mourning Dove 382
Eastern Screech-Owl 38
Great-horned Owl 4
Belted Kingfisher 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker 49
Downy Woodpecker 142
Hairy Woodpecker 22
Northern Flicker 8
Pileated Woodpecker 5
Northern Shrike 1
Blue Jay 443
American Crow 789
Horned Lark 5
Black-capped Chickadee 454
Eastern Tufted Titmouse 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 6
White-breasted Nuthatch 108
Brown Creeper 12
Carolina Wren 9
Golden-crowned Kinglet 21
Eastern Bluebird 48
American Robin 34
European Starling 988
Cedar Waxwing 19
American Tree Sparrow 642
Field Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 17
Swamp Sparrow 20
White-throated Sparrow 10
White-crowned Sparrow 7
Slate-colored Junco 922
Lapland Longspur 1
Snow Bunting 80
Northern Cardinal 352
Red-winged Blackbird 17
Rusty Blackbird 1
Common Grackle 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 310
Purple Finch 2
House Finch 79
Pine Siskin 120
American Goldfinch 392
Evening Grosbeak 1
House Sparrow 1048

Total: 85 Sp + 1 Count Week

ring neck duck