Rideau Ferry Christmas Bird Count Results 2019

The Rideau Ferry Christmas Bird Count took place on December 14, maintaining the tradition of having the count on the first available Saturday in the designated CBC period. The weather was quite appalling with overcast skies and persistent rain, however mercifully the promised freezing rain failed to appear. Some roads and trails were still quite icy so caution was in order.

Despite the less than wonderful conditions the count attracted 30 field observers split into 9 parties, while 15 people watched birds at their feeders. A total of 46 species were tallied, comprising some 5724 individuals. This was a far better total than I had originally forecasted when confronted with the weather forecast and experiencing the actual conditions in the field.

Two new species were observed for the count: Lesser Black-backed and Iceland Gulls, both single birds identified after close scrutiny of a huge flock of Herring Gulls heading over Rideau Ferry late in the day. Thanks to Mark Gawn and his team for their diligence and expertise. Many species were indeed represented by a single individual: Bufflehead, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, American Kestrel and Golden-crowned Kinglet.

Notable by their absence were the winter finches, presumably because of the bumper food supply further north. Four additional species were observed during the count week (3 days either side of the count date): Great Blue Heron, Great Horned Owl, Snow Bunting and Common Grackle.

The results were compiled during a potluck dinner at Sarah Anderson’s home on the outskirts of Perth where attendees enjoyed a lively social interaction (largely dominated by birding stories!) before heading out into the snowstorm that had blown up. Luckily all made it home safely.  The results can be seen at Rideau Ferry CBC Results or on the Audubon site.

Alison Bentley
ONRF CBC Compiler

Thumbnail Photo by Camilla Cerea/Audubon

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