The 24th annual Cedar Creek CBC (central Essex County) was held on December 20 and tallied 85 species and 37,931 individuals.
NE winds and a sunny morning produced an excellent hawk flight along the Lake Erie shoreline. Raptor totals included 26 Northern Harriers (count average is 12), 18 Sharp-shinned Hawks (record high count), 17 Cooper's Hawks, 5 Red-shouldered Hawks (tie for record high), 108 Red- tailed Hawks (record high), 31 Rough-legged Hawks (record high) and 1 Golden Eagle (second count record). Kestrel numbers were only half the long term average at 16.
A flock of 32 Sandhill Cranes were observed flying along the shoreline at Colchester (only second record for count).
The large number of dead and dying ash trees may have contributed to the good numbers of woodpeckers including: Red-headed 3 (best count since 1989), Red-bellied 68 (second highest count), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 (11th count), Downy 217 (record high), Hairy 22 (record high), Northern Flicker 65 (tie for record high).
Other record high counts included Carolina Wren 48, Golden-crowned Kinglet 99, Eastern Towhee 8, White-crowned Sparrow 154, Northern Cardinal 543 and American Goldfinch 627.
American Crows (9,022) have decreased each year since 2002. Their roost is located on the north side of Essex.
The complete count results will be available on the Ojibway Nature Centre web site in a few days.
(www.ojibway.ca) Paul Pratt Ojibway Nature Centre Windsor, ON 519-966-5852 [email protected] _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
