Passing this along for those who may be interested in this new CBC count in West Niagara:
--- Hello, First Annual Peach Tree Christmas Bird Count – A Success Over 30 counters participated in the first Annual Peach Tree Christmas Bird Count, CBC on January 2, 2016. The bird count circle, 24 kilometers in diameter, was divided into 14 sections and includes Grimsby, Grassie, Smithville and Caistorville. Some counters recorded birds at their backyard feeders. Counters carried out the census in 0 degrees Celsius temperatures and with moderate winds. They were rewarded with 73 species of birds and a total of 35,241 birds. The highlights for the day were the ducks on Lake Ontario, specifically 8,721 White- winged Scoters and 9,345 Long -tailed Ducks. The waterfront section of the CBC circle was from Gray’s Rd in Stoney Creek to Nelles Rd in Grimsby. 8 Cackling Geese were with a large flock of Canada’s on top of the escarpment. Three owl species were recorded, Great Horned, Screech and Short-eared. Other raptors included Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Harriers, Sharp-shinned Hawks, a Rough–legged Hawk and 22 American Kestrels. Counters found the birds hard to find on land. The recent warm weather may have allowed the birds to be spread out. The Peach Tree CBC numbers were still impressive though with a total of 35,421 birds where as the Hamilton CBC on December 26 with 105 participants recorded just 38,103. The huge numbers of Long-tailed Ducks and White-winged Scoters in the Peach Tree circle skews the numbers of course. There was almost a complete absence of traditional winter birds with only 69 Snow Buntings and 1 Lapland Longspur recorded. This further reflects the recent warm weather across the province and region. A few birds that should have been long gone to the south were still found such as 1 Common Loon, 2 Yellow Shafted Flickers, one White Throated Sparrow and a White Crowned Sparrow. The 47 American Robins counted were not a surprise as there are usually a good number of them found in the Niagara Peninsula over the winter as they feed on the abundant berries. In addition to the 73 count day birds, a Great Blue Heron was the only count week bird. Missed a Carolina Wren by one day. Waiting to get confirmation about dates on Great Cormorant and Black-legged Kittiwake. The counts were very consistent in terms of numbers of birds and type in each of the 14 sections. This speaks of the equal work of the counters, their expertise and somewhat equal amounts of similar habitat in the different count sections. The two main waterfront sections on the lake both recorded 42 species and with 12,200 birds in one and 10,229 in the other. In 11 of the “just land” sections the species ranged from 15 to 31 species but in 8 sections the range was between 26 and 31 species which is very consistent. The numbers of birds in these 11 land sections ranged from 427 to 2143 birds with 7 sections counting between 427 and 826 birds. The varied and excellent habitat that is still found in the circle including the Niagara Escarpment and farm lands above the escarpment provided a wide variety of habitat types for birds. These lands provide essential habitat for the over winter survival of birds and other wildlife. A hot spot on the escarpment was in the area of the new Vinemount Meadows Sanctuary on the 10th Line in Stoney Creek. Northern Shrikes, a Short Eared Owl, a Northern Harrier and two Yellow Shafted Flickers were found. Rob Porter reported a large flock of 80 Tree Sparrows. Quite a number. There was an absence of Ravens in the count. A few were expected to be seen as they are now nesting on a mountain quarry face in Stoney Creek. Neither Carolina nor Winter Wrens showed themselves. The Christmas Bird Count in Hamilton has been ongoing since 1921. Christmas Bird Counts started their tradition in North America in 1900. Prior to then a practice known as the Christmas Side Hunt was carried out in parts of the United States in which teams would compete to see which team could shoot the most birds on Christmas Day. With wildlife conservation beginning at the turn of the last century Frank Chapman, an ornithologist with Audubon Society, began the tradition of Christmas Bird Counts in New York. Today there are approximately 2000 bird count circles in Canada and the United States combined. In Canada the counts are co-ordinated by Bird Studies Canada. Conservation biologists use the data from the CBC’s to monitor bird populations and co-ordinate wildlife management projects across North America. Christmas Bird Counts take place between December 14 and January 5th. The first Annual Peach Tree CBC was important to start a census of this new area. This new count attracted new birders and experienced birders from across the area, giving everybody an opportunity. The counters have established a good baseline of data for future Peach Tree Christmas Bird Counts. We hope more will participate for the 2016 count. I would like to thank all of the participants for their time and energies and we look forward to having them return next year. (This report is not the official report as I still have to review it further but it paints a pretty clear picture of what was seen.) Bruce Mackenzie - Complier kat...@sympatico.ca 905-643-4526 _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
