Press Release
Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists
January 4, 2003
Written by: Cliff Bennett
The 58th Annual Carleton Place Christmas Bird Count took place on Friday, Dec. 27. The count area, centred on the bridge in Carleton Place, includes areas almost to Innisville, Ferguson Falls and Union Hall, Almonte, east to Dwyer Hill Road, South to Ashton and Franktown. Twenty-nine field observers took to the rural roads, trails and woodlots and, during the course of the day, counted 5600 individual birds of thirty-nine different species. In addition, thirty-seven residents with feeders at home, counted a further 1012 birds bringing the total for the day to 6612.
The results of this count, which can be viewed on http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc, were slightly lower in species but higher in numbers from previous years. Record high numbers of mourning doves, northern flicker, blue jays, robins, starlings and cedar waxwings were tallied. All finches were very low and, for the first year since 1970, there were no evening grosbeaks around.
The Carleton Place count is sponsored by the Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists. MVFN Past-President Cliff Bennett organized the teams and areas of the count. MVFN member Georgina Doe coordinated the feeder counts, assisted by MVFN member Libby Goddard. MVFN member Mike Jaques was the official compiler.
Taking part as counters in the field were Al Potvin, Chris Hume, Tine Kuiper, Mike McPhail, Paul Frigon, Pip Winters, Mary and Howard Robinson, Allan and Peter Goddard, Lynda Bennett, all from Mississippi Mills; Don Brown, Rick Muise, Ken and Eileen Ross, all from Ottawa; Bruce Legallais, Bobby and John Clarke, Lanark Highlands; Mike and Joyce Jaques, Arnie Simpson, Joel Byrne, from Beckwith; Brenda Carter, Ed LeBlanc and Rick Carter, Merrickville and Ian and Susan Wilkes, Carleton Place.
Results of the count are as follows:
Canada Goose (8), Mallards (4), Common Goldeneye (16), Common Merganser (24), Sharp-shinned hawk (1), Red-tailed Hawk (6), Rough-legged Hawk (5), Ruffed Grouse (10), Rock Dove (656), Mourning Doves (376), Snowy Owl (1), Downy Woodpecker (71), Hairy Woodpecker (59), Northern Flicker (2), Pileated Woodpecker (9), Northern Shrike (3), Blue Jay (642), Crow (249), Ravens (8), Black-capped Chickadee (866), Red-breasted Nuthatch (4), White-breasted Nuthatch (101), Brown Creeper (5), Golden-crowned Kinglet (4), Robins (338), Starlings (1290), Bohemian Waxwing (21), Cedar Waxwing (432), Tree Sparrows (325), Song Sparrow (1), White-crowned Sparrow (1), Junco (123), Snow Bunting (352), Cardinal (61), Purple Finch (80), House Finch (112), Common Redpoll (30), Goldfinch (146), House Sparrow (170).
