These are the results of the 30th Woodhouse CBC held on Sunday December 18th 2016. The Woodhouse CBC is centred 7 km east of Simcoe, at the crossroads of Highway 3 and Cockshut Road at Renton in Norfolk County and roughly covers from Port Dover to Waterford and just west of Simcoe to east of Jarvis.
Weather The weather this year was certainly different from last year. Freezing rain overnight made for treacherous driving and walking. Overnight until nearly dawn there was freezing rain, then dry but cloudy all day. Nearly all standing water was covered in ice. Temperatures varied overnight between -1 and -9 with a daytime high of -1 for a short time before it dropped again. The wind was mostly calm or light until the afternoon when it increased slightly from the north west. The freezing rain curtailed a lot of owling so owl numbers are lower than normal this year. A big thankyou to Madeline Wilson for hosting the roundup and to the Norfolk Field Naturalists for sponsoring the Woodhouse CBC. Total Species: 84 with no Count Week species (average for the last 29 years = 78, average for the last 10 years = 85) Total Individuals: 20,460 (average for the last 29 years = 29,269, average for the last 10 years = 23,783) # of participants: 39 NEW SPECIES TO THE COUNT None COUNT WEEK SPECIES None *RECORD HIGH - (previous high)* Horned Grebe 9 (5) Long-tailed Duck 8 (5) Golden Eagle 2 (1) Sandhill Crane 284 (174) Horned Lark 805 (708) American Robin 101 (59) Fox Sparrow 11 (4) *RECORD LOW: (previous low)* Great Blue Heron 1 (= lowest) Average 5 Northern Mockingbird 1 (= lowest) Average 3 Common Grackle 1 (= lowest) Average 3 *SPECIES ABOVE AVERAGE (last 10 year average)* Greater Scaup 395 (135) Hooded Merganser 27 (16) Greater Scaup 396 (135) Bald Eagle 14 (7) Northern Harrier 21 (13) Sharp-shinned Hawk 10 (6) Rough-legged Hawk 15 (10) Merlin 3 (1) Wild Turkey 291 (129) Great Black-backed Gull 17 (11) American Pipit 27 (8) White-crowned Sparrow 39 (7) Slate-coloured Junco 1839 (1000) Snow Bunting 1496 (435) House Sparrow 1046 (885) *SPECIES WELL BELOW AVERAGE (last 10 year average)* Great Blue Heron 3 (5) Mallard 779 (2191) American Black Duck 40 (183) Redhead 123 (558) Common Goldeneye 97 (148) Bufflehead 167 (279) Common Merganser 247 (583) Red-breasted Merganser 274 (699) Bonaparte's Gull 14 (112) Ring-billed Gull 318 (1316) Rock Pigeon 253 (628) Black-capped Chickadee 321 (420) Golden-crowned Kinglet 15 (29) Eastern Bluebird 23 (52) Cedar Waxwing 9 (60) Song Sparrow 17 (53) Swamp Sparrow 5 (18) Red-winged Blackbird 11 (28) Rusty Blackbird 2 (12) American Goldfinch 194 (308) NOTABLE ABSENTEES Tundra Swan 1st time since 2009 Lesser Scaup 1st time since 2007 Ruffed Grouse 7th year in a row Northern Shrike 1st time since 2003 Brown Creeper 1st time since 2007 ALSO WORTHY OF MENTION Turkey Vulture 1 (10th record) Red-shouldered Hawk 1 (1st since 2011) Sandhill Crane 284 (2nd record) Iceland Gull 1 (2nd record) Glaucous Gull 2 (6th record) Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 (4th record) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 (1st since 2009) Common Raven 1 (2nd record) Eastern Tufted Titmouse 2 (usually 1 or more often none) Hermit Thrush 2 (10th record) FULL SPECIES LIST AND TALLY Horned Grebe 9 Great Blue Heron 1 Turkey Vulture 1 Mute Swan 3 Canada Goose 6461 Cackling Goose 2 Mallard 779 American Black Duck 40 Gadwall 19 Redhead 123 Greater Scaup 396 Common Goldeneye 97 Long-tailed Duck 8 Bufflehead 167 Hooded Merganser 27 Common Merganser 247 Red-breasted Merganser 274 Bald Eagle 14 Northern Harrier 21 Sharp-shinned Hawk 10 Cooper's Hawk 6 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Red-tailed Hawk 101 Rough-legged Hawk 15 Golden Eagle 2 American Kestrel 17 Merlin 3 Ring-necked Pheasant 1 Wild Turkey 291 Sandhill Crane 284 Bonaparte’s Gull 14 Ring-billed Gull 318 Herring Gull 121 Iceland Gull 1 Glaucous Gull 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 Great Black-backed Gull 17 Rock Pigeon 253 Mourning Dove 547 Eastern Screech-Owl 8 Great-horned Owl 1 Belted Kingfisher 3 Red-bellied Woodpecker 32 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 Downy Woodpecker 80 Hairy Woodpecker 8 Yellow-shafted Flicker 3 Pileated Woodpecker 3 Blue Jay 270 American Crow 572 Common Raven 1 Horned Lark 805 Black-capped Chickadee 321 Eastern Tufted Titmouse 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch 22 White-breasted Nuthatch 60 Carolina Wren 11 Golden-crowned Kinglet 15 Eastern Bluebird 23 Hermit Thrush 2 American Robin 101 Northern Mockingbird 1 European Starling 1410 American Pipit 27 Cedar Waxwing 9 American Tree Sparrow 777 Field Sparrow 1 Fox Sparrow 11 Song Sparrow 17 Swamp Sparrow 5 White-throated Sparrow 9 White-crowned Sparrow 39 Slate-colored Junco 1835 Lapland Longspur 5 Snow Bunting 1496 Northern Cardinal 225 Red-winged Blackbird 11 Rusty Blackbird 2 Common Grackle 1 Brown-headed Cowbird 319 Purple Finch 1 House Finch 172 American Goldfinch 194 House Sparrow 1046 Total 84 Sp _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - the provincial birding organization. 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