101st Hamilton Christmas Bird Count Final Results
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Rob Porter
Jan 23, 2022, 7:46:58 PM1/23/22
to Hamilton Beginning Birders, Hamilton Birds, HSA Nature Notes
The 101st Hamilton Christmas Bird Count (CBC) was held on December 26, 2021.
This year is the first CBC season in which eBird has had the “Trip Reports” feature in which this report will make use of. You can review all the data of this count, including photos and audio recordings online at the following link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/24771
The count circle centres upon Dundurn Castle; it is bounded in the west by Christie Lake, in the east by Lake Ontario, in the north by Lake Medad, and in the south by Hamilton International Airport. It includes two Important Bird & Biodiversity Areas (IBAs): West End of Lake Ontario (WELO) IBA, and Dundas Valley & Dundas Marsh IBA.
The weather on count day was hovering around the freezing mark, with a mix of sun and cloud. A light west wind was present most of the day, with no precipitation reported.
One-hundred-and-three counters participated, many new to this count. A total of 184.55 hours of effort was put in, resulting in 97 species observed, with no additional species observed during the count week. This is the lowest number of species seen since the year 2000 count.
A total of 36,357 individual birds were counted on the count day. This is the lowest number since 1977, but only 6 less than the 2017 count, so not terribly out of character for the last few years of the count.
The “low” count of species (if 97 can be called that, most CBCs in Canada count themselves lucky to get half that!) can be attributed to a few normally reliable species not being present within count week: Red-necked Grebe, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Rough-legged Hawk, Snow Bunting, Gray Catbird, and Chipping Sparrow.
One other “low” count that appears notable is 9,637: the total number of individual birds counted that were of an introduced species. (This does not include re-introduced species, such as Wild Turkey, Canada Goose.) This number has not been a 4-digit number since 1977, and even that year was an oddity, it has been since the 1960s we have last seen this number normally this low. It could be argued the “low” in total individual birds is actually reflecting a decline in non-native species.
An exceptionally high number of records were broken in species counts, however. A whopping sixteen species have exceeded totals seen since the count’s inception in 1921.
Starting with ducks, four duck species broke records: Northern Shoveler (419), Ring-necked Duck (219), Hooded Merganser (290), and Red-breast Merganser (1,076).
Four Sandhill Cranes were observed by two separate parties (presumed to be the same birds), breaking the previous record of two.
Red-throated Loon broke previous records set in 2016 with 5 counted, three more than previous.
The Double-crested Cormorant’s winter population is quite healthy this winter, with 216 counted, 76 over the previous record set in 2016.
The Turkey Vulture continues its upward trend, with 15 counted, 4 higher than counted in last year's record.
Bald Eagles (18) also continue their phenomenal recovery seeing two more than previous records set, even with some presumed overlapped counts adjusted. While not related, the Common Raven also shares a similar trajectory with 19 counted (7 more than the previous record), and both may become very difficult to prevent double counting if their populations continue in this trend. A compiler can only handle so many variables.
As is the tradition in recent years, Red-bellied Woodpecker (127) and Carolina Wren (124) once again break their previous records with just a few more than previous years.
One surprise record this year was the White-throated Sparrow, with 220 counted, 7 higher than the previous record set in 2005.
Three species tied previous records set: Barred Owl (1), Merlin (7), and Peregrine Falcon (6).
A few species also hit 10- and 25-year highs, see the data attached for details on those.
Thanks to all of the participants, especially all of our newest counters: without you, coverage in this count would become increasingly challenging.
And, an additional special thanks to the new Hamilton Naturalists' Club Bird Surveys Committee for assisting in the administration of this count. This count has a lot of zones, and keeping track of zone assignments and all the emails that produces is much easier with help.
Rob Porter
Compiler, 101st Hamilton Christmas Bird Count
Hamilton Naturalists' Club Bird Surveys Committee
Jessica Banas, Cody Bassindale, Christa Jackson, Rowan Keunen, Chris Motherwell, Rob Porter, and Liam Thorne.
Species
Count Day: 97
Count Week: 0
Total Countable: 97
Effort
Counters: 103
Walked Distance: 270.73 km
Walked Time: 146 hours
Driven Distance: 340.6 km
Driven Time: 25.8 h
Owling Distance: 2.4km (walked)
Owling Time: 2 hours
Feeder Time: 10.75 hours
Species Counts
* = New highest record in count history (last 100 years)
*50y = Highest count in last 25 years
*25y = Highest count in last 25 years
*10y = Highest count in last 10 years
CW = Count Week species
Cackling Goose 1
Canada Goose 3,558
Mute Swan 40
Trumpeter Swan 53
Tundra Swan 3
* Northern Shoveler 419
*25y Gadwall 178
American Wigeon 2
Mallard 1,599
American Black Duck 162
*10y Northern Pintail 16
Green-winged Teal 26
Canvasback 129
Redhead 72
* Ring-necked Duck 219
Greater Scaup 1,448
Lesser Scaup 856
Surf Scoter 3
White-winged Scoter 225
Black Scoter 3
*10y Long-tailed Duck 8,860
Bufflehead 472
Common Goldeneye 981
* Hooded Merganser 290
Common Merganser 252
* Red-breasted Merganser 1,076
Ruddy Duck 196
Wild Turkey 28
Pied-billed Grebe 1
Horned Grebe 5
Rock Pigeon 1,517
Mourning Dove 649
American Coot 74
* Sandhill Crane 4
Ring-billed Gull 1,018
Herring Gull 791
Iceland Gull 3
Glaucous Gull 4
Great Black-backed Gull 48
gull sp. 7
* Red-throated Loon 5
Common Loon 5
* Double-crested Cormorant 216
Great Blue Heron 11
* Turkey Vulture 15
Northern Harrier 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 4
Cooper's Hawk 20
* Bald Eagle 18
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 113
Eastern Screech-Owl 1
Great Horned Owl 1
Snowy Owl 2
* Barred Owl 1
Belted Kingfisher 4
* Red-bellied Woodpecker 127
Downy Woodpecker 240
Hairy Woodpecker 80
Downy/Hairy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 16
*10y Northern Flicker 16
American Kestrel 1
* Merlin 7
* Peregrine Falcon 6
Blue Jay 394
American Crow 495
* Common Raven 19
Black-capped Chickadee 952
Tufted Titmouse 4
Golden-crowned Kinglet 19
Red-breasted Nuthatch 47
White-breasted Nuthatch 212
Brown Creeper 14
Winter Wren 22
* Carolina Wren 124
European Starling 2,852
Northern Mockingbird 14
Eastern Bluebird 57
Hermit Thrush 6
American Robin 454
Cedar Waxwing 103
House Sparrow 1,589
House Finch 409
*10y Purple Finch 15
House/Purple Finch 2
Common Redpoll 8
Pine Siskin 1
American Goldfinch 641
American Tree Sparrow 192
Fox Sparrow 3
Dark-eyed Junco 760
White-crowned Sparrow 2
* White-throated Sparrow 220
*10y Song Sparrow 49
*25y Swamp Sparrow 12
sparrow sp. 12
Red-winged Blackbird 22
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
Common Grackle 1
Northern Cardinal 429
TOTAL - 36,357
--
The count circle centres upon Dundurn Castle; it is bounded in the west by Christie Lake, in the east by Lake Ontario, in the north by Lake Medad, and in the south by Hamilton International Airport. It includes two Important Bird & Biodiversity Areas (IBAs): West End of Lake Ontario (WELO) IBA, and Dundas Valley & Dundas Marsh IBA.
The weather on count day was hovering around the freezing mark, with a mix of sun and cloud. A light west wind was present most of the day, with no precipitation reported.
One-hundred-and-three counters participated, many new to this count. A total of 184.55 hours of effort was put in, resulting in 97 species observed, with no additional species observed during the count week. This is the lowest number of species seen since the year 2000 count.
A total of 36,357 individual birds were counted on the count day. This is the lowest number since 1977, but only 6 less than the 2017 count, so not terribly out of character for the last few years of the count.
The “low” count of species (if 97 can be called that, most CBCs in Canada count themselves lucky to get half that!) can be attributed to a few normally reliable species not being present within count week: Red-necked Grebe, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Rough-legged Hawk, Snow Bunting, Gray Catbird, and Chipping Sparrow.
One other “low” count that appears notable is 9,637: the total number of individual birds counted that were of an introduced species. (This does not include re-introduced species, such as Wild Turkey, Canada Goose.) This number has not been a 4-digit number since 1977, and even that year was an oddity, it has been since the 1960s we have last seen this number normally this low. It could be argued the “low” in total individual birds is actually reflecting a decline in non-native species.
An exceptionally high number of records were broken in species counts, however. A whopping sixteen species have exceeded totals seen since the count’s inception in 1921.
Starting with ducks, four duck species broke records: Northern Shoveler (419), Ring-necked Duck (219), Hooded Merganser (290), and Red-breast Merganser (1,076).
Four Sandhill Cranes were observed by two separate parties (presumed to be the same birds), breaking the previous record of two.
Red-throated Loon broke previous records set in 2016 with 5 counted, three more than previous.
The Double-crested Cormorant’s winter population is quite healthy this winter, with 216 counted, 76 over the previous record set in 2016.
The Turkey Vulture continues its upward trend, with 15 counted, 4 higher than counted in last year's record.
Bald Eagles (18) also continue their phenomenal recovery seeing two more than previous records set, even with some presumed overlapped counts adjusted. While not related, the Common Raven also shares a similar trajectory with 19 counted (7 more than the previous record), and both may become very difficult to prevent double counting if their populations continue in this trend. A compiler can only handle so many variables.
As is the tradition in recent years, Red-bellied Woodpecker (127) and Carolina Wren (124) once again break their previous records with just a few more than previous years.
One surprise record this year was the White-throated Sparrow, with 220 counted, 7 higher than the previous record set in 2005.
Three species tied previous records set: Barred Owl (1), Merlin (7), and Peregrine Falcon (6).
A few species also hit 10- and 25-year highs, see the data attached for details on those.
Thanks to all of the participants, especially all of our newest counters: without you, coverage in this count would become increasingly challenging.
And, an additional special thanks to the new Hamilton Naturalists' Club Bird Surveys Committee for assisting in the administration of this count. This count has a lot of zones, and keeping track of zone assignments and all the emails that produces is much easier with help.
Rob Porter
Compiler, 101st Hamilton Christmas Bird Count
Hamilton Naturalists' Club Bird Surveys Committee
Jessica Banas, Cody Bassindale, Christa Jackson, Rowan Keunen, Chris Motherwell, Rob Porter, and Liam Thorne.
Species
Count Day: 97
Count Week: 0
Total Countable: 97
Effort
Counters: 103
Walked Distance: 270.73 km
Walked Time: 146 hours
Driven Distance: 340.6 km
Driven Time: 25.8 h
Owling Distance: 2.4km (walked)
Owling Time: 2 hours
Feeder Time: 10.75 hours
Species Counts
* = New highest record in count history (last 100 years)
*50y = Highest count in last 25 years
*25y = Highest count in last 25 years
*10y = Highest count in last 10 years
CW = Count Week species
Cackling Goose 1
Canada Goose 3,558
Mute Swan 40
Trumpeter Swan 53
Tundra Swan 3
* Northern Shoveler 419
*25y Gadwall 178
American Wigeon 2
Mallard 1,599
American Black Duck 162
*10y Northern Pintail 16
Green-winged Teal 26
Canvasback 129
Redhead 72
* Ring-necked Duck 219
Greater Scaup 1,448
Lesser Scaup 856
Surf Scoter 3
White-winged Scoter 225
Black Scoter 3
*10y Long-tailed Duck 8,860
Bufflehead 472
Common Goldeneye 981
* Hooded Merganser 290
Common Merganser 252
* Red-breasted Merganser 1,076
Ruddy Duck 196
Wild Turkey 28
Pied-billed Grebe 1
Horned Grebe 5
Rock Pigeon 1,517
Mourning Dove 649
American Coot 74
* Sandhill Crane 4
Ring-billed Gull 1,018
Herring Gull 791
Iceland Gull 3
Glaucous Gull 4
Great Black-backed Gull 48
gull sp. 7
* Red-throated Loon 5
Common Loon 5
* Double-crested Cormorant 216
Great Blue Heron 11
* Turkey Vulture 15
Northern Harrier 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 4
Cooper's Hawk 20
* Bald Eagle 18
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 113
Eastern Screech-Owl 1
Great Horned Owl 1
Snowy Owl 2
* Barred Owl 1
Belted Kingfisher 4
* Red-bellied Woodpecker 127
Downy Woodpecker 240
Hairy Woodpecker 80
Downy/Hairy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 16
*10y Northern Flicker 16
American Kestrel 1
* Merlin 7
* Peregrine Falcon 6
Blue Jay 394
American Crow 495
* Common Raven 19
Black-capped Chickadee 952
Tufted Titmouse 4
Golden-crowned Kinglet 19
Red-breasted Nuthatch 47
White-breasted Nuthatch 212
Brown Creeper 14
Winter Wren 22
* Carolina Wren 124
European Starling 2,852
Northern Mockingbird 14
Eastern Bluebird 57
Hermit Thrush 6
American Robin 454
Cedar Waxwing 103
House Sparrow 1,589
House Finch 409
*10y Purple Finch 15
House/Purple Finch 2
Common Redpoll 8
Pine Siskin 1
American Goldfinch 641
American Tree Sparrow 192
Fox Sparrow 3
Dark-eyed Junco 760
White-crowned Sparrow 2
* White-throated Sparrow 220
*10y Song Sparrow 49
*25y Swamp Sparrow 12
sparrow sp. 12
Red-winged Blackbird 22
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
Common Grackle 1
Northern Cardinal 429
TOTAL - 36,357
This report and all its data is available at the following URL: https://ebird.org/tripreport/24771
Robert Gerald Porter
Hamilton Naturalists' Club / Director at Large
Weever Apps / Director of Engineering, Co-founder
Hamilton Naturalists' Club / Director at Large
Weever Apps / Director of Engineering, Co-founder
Songbirding Podcast / Creator, Host
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