Christmas Bird Count – Fisherville, 2023

Report by the Haldimand Bird Observatory

Photo, above: Sandhill Cranes – Photo by Member, Jeff Hiebert

Tufted Titmouse – Photo by Sue Drotos of
Norfolk County

December 28^th, 2023 was a warm, foggy, wet, and dreary Christmas Bird Count day but that didn’t stop our 22 participants from spotting a wide assortment of species. The lack of snow and cold meant low counts of Snow Buntings (3) and the complete absence of Horned Larks and Snowy Owls, but good conditions for a few surprises instead. An American Goshawk in zone 6 was the first to be counted since 2013 and is one of only 10 individuals across all counts (occurring in 8 other years since 1989).  A Little Gull spotted mixed in with Bonaparte’s Gulls in zone 5 had not been counted since 2007 and is one of only 5 individuals across all counts too (detected in 3 other years since 1989). This count also featured the first Chipping Sparrow since 2012 (one of 16 individuals across all counts) and the first Killdeer since 2012 and 2015, likely due to the warm weather. Species usually counted but absent this year included Gadwall, Great Black-backed Gull, Belted Kingfisher, Peregrine Falcon, and Common Grackle. Thank you to all the participants and organizers for another successful count.

Weather: 6℃, 17km/h winds from the Northeast, fog and drizzle throughout the day, open water.

Effort: 526.9 km and 36.8 hours by car, 28.0 km and 21 hours by foot, 143.5 total participant hours.

Owling Effort: 30.8km and 1.3 hours by car, 0.5km and 0.3 hours by foot, 2 total participant hours.

Other Notable Sightings:

Cedar Waxwings – Photo by Member, Charles Mitchell

Red-tailed Hawk (66 counted) – 66 is the second lowest total across all counts. The lowest total was 56 in 2007, while highest total was 345 in 1993. Average total over the last 10 counts is 104.

Sandhill Crane (14 counted) – 14 is the highest total across all counts. They appeared in the count for the first time in 2010 and have been detected in 8 of the 12 counts since.

Red-headed Woodpecker (1 counted in zone 7) – species has not been counted since 2009 and is one of only 21 individuals across all counts (detected in 8 other years since 1989).

Pileated Woodpecker (1 counted in zone 8) – species is only counted occasionally and last counted recently in 2014, 2016, and 2017.

Common Raven (8 counted) – not detected between 1989 and 2017 but now commonly counted, appearing in 4 of the last 5 counts.

Cedar Waxwing (67 counted) – last counted recently in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017.

Snow Bunting (3 counted) – low count due to lack of snow but not completely absent like 2018 and 2019.

Brown-headed Cowbird (12 counted) – Detected in every year but this is the lowest count since 1990 when 9 were detected. Average count is 501 across all years but can vary widely.

Pine Siskin (7 counted) – infrequently counted and most recently appeared in 2011, 2012, and 2014.

American Goldfinch (109 counted) – second lowest count across all counts. The lowest total was 101 in 1993 while the highest was 484 in 2003. Average across all counts is 253.

Below is the count list:

Horned Grebe 149
Great Blue Heron 4
Tundra Swan 11
Canada Goose 1723
Cackling Goose 1
Mallard 309
American Black Duck 16
Redhead 1500
Greater Scaup 1675
Lesser Scaup 51
Common Goldeneye 478
Long-tailed Duck 1
Bufflehead 492
Common Merganser 35
Red-breasted Merganser 397
Bald Eagle 14
Northern Harrier 19
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2
Cooper’s Hawk 3
American Goshawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 66
Rough-legged Hawk 5
American Kestrel 23
Merlin 2
Wild Turkey 59
Sandhill Crane 14
Killdeer 1
Little Gull 1
Bonaparte’s Gull 570
Ring-billed Gull 591
Herring Gull 126
Rock Pigeon 378
Mourning Dove 340
Eastern Screech-Owl 6
Great-horned Owl 3
Red-headed Woodpecker 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 42
Downy Woodpecker 54
Hairy Woodpecker 5
Northern Flicker 3
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Northern Shrike 1
Blue Jay 295
American Crow 134
Common Raven 8
Black-capped Chickadee 136
Eastern Tufted Titmouse 14
Red-breasted Nuthatch 5
White-breasted Nuthatch 31
Brown Creeper 4
Carolina Wren 17
Winter Wren 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet 11
Eastern Bluebird 37
Hermit Thrush 2
American Robin 7
Northern Mockingbird 5
Cedar Waxwing 67
European Starling 1694
American Tree Sparrow 292
Chipping Sparrow 1
Field Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 15
Swamp Sparrow 6
White-throated Sparrow 13
Dark-eyed Junco 263
Snow Bunting 3
Northern Cardinal 109
Red-winged Blackbird 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 12
House Finch 100
Pine Siskin 7
American Goldfinch 109
House Sparrow 707
Total 74 Sp