Ferryland CBC result from 2 Jan 2011

[Bruce Mactavish]

Eight people took part in the Ferryland CBC on 2 Jan. The weather was
crazy. +3C all day. Insects flying about, light winds, nothing
frozen, nothing has even been frozen since last winter. The Northern
Lapwing at Renews was the highlight.It is the second time this species
has been recorded on this CBC. The other years ago was standing on a
frozen pond for two days with no possibility of finding a meal. This
year the Lapwing as getting fat on earth worms. In a way far more
extraordinary was the phenomenal total of 64 Killdeers. These being
part of a unprecedented fall out of Killdeers on the Avalon on 29 Dec
after severe winter weather in the NE US. The mild weather was
probably responsible for the very low numbers of Common Eiders and
some passerines notably White-throated Sparrow and feeder birds in
general. A Dickcissel and adult male Baltimore Oriole were at a
feeders in Fermuese. For year listers there is a single Bohemian
Waxwing present in the hawthornes by the Renews church - a good place
to keep tabs on when berries are so scarce this winter.

Ferryland CBC 2 Jan 2011

Common Loon – 18
Great Cormorant – 30
American Black Duck - 26
Green-winged Teal – 1
Common Eider – 29
Harlequin Duck – 1
Long-tailed Duck – 1
Surf Scoter – 2
White-winged Scoter – 17
Black Scoter – 2
Red-breasted Merganser – 8
Bald Eagle – 15
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 22
Northern Goshawk – 1
Ruffed Grouse – 1
NORTHERN LAPWING – 1
KILLDEER – 64
Black-bellied Plover – 1
Wilson’s Snipe – 1
Purple Sandpiper – 20
Black-headed Gull – 2
Herring Gull – 197
Iceland Gull – 44
Glaucous Gull – 1
Great Black-backed Gull – 42
Dovekie – 73
Thick-billed Murre – 1
Black Guillemot – 31
Mourning Dove – 10
Belted Kingfisher – 7
Hairy Woodpecker -1
Northern Flicker – 8
Blue Jay – 31
American Crow – 181
Common Raven – 40
Black-capped Chickadee – 127
Boreal Chickadee – 38
Red-breasted Nuthatch – 2
Brown Creeper – 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 28
American Pipit – 6
Bohemian Waxwing – 1
European Starling – 530
Dickcissel – 1
Northern Oriole – 1
Savannah Sparrow – 5
Song Sparrow – 17
White-throated Sparrow – 3
Dark-eyed Junco – 530
Purple Finch – 3
White-winged Crossbill – 6
American Goldfinch – 116
House Sparrow – 28
54 species