This post has been approved by Ontbird Moderators. Hi Everyone,
After the first week of December, the 2020-2021 Ontario winter bird list stands at 174 species. Some rare species found so far include Least Bittern (0/13, zero seen in the last 13 years, Norfolk County); Laughing Gull (2/13) found by Amanda Guercio at Sunnyside, Toronto; Mew Gull (4/13) in Brantford found by Sarah Lamond; White-winged Dove (3/13) in Coldwater found by Anthony Glenesk; Bay-breasted Warbler (2/13) in RK McMillan Park; and Black-headed Grosbeak (0/13) in Sawpit Bay, Algoma County. As usual after one week there are several holes to be filled in this winter list. These include Brant, Gray Partridge, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Dunlin, American Woodcock, Black-legged Kittiwake, Northern Hawk Owl, Boreal Owl, Black-backed Woodpecker, House Wren, Brown Thrasher, Pine Warbler, and Brewer's Blackbird. With the Christmas Bird Counts starting soon we will hopefully be filling in some of these gaps. If you haven't heard, the Ontario Field Ornithologists are running a Winter Birding Challenge. This challenge involves eBirding <https://ebird.org> a local area during the winter. More information about how to get involved and prizes can be found here: http://www.ofo.ca/winterbirding. Winter Listers can also keep track of what's being seen in the Ontario Birds Discord Server which can be found here: Discord <https://discord.gg/jQZtg4CwpR>. The winter list can be viewed at http://tinyurl.com/myyulvs. I try to update the spreadsheet every couple of days or whenever I hear of a new addition. Please let me know if you hear of a new addition or any other correction to the spreadsheet. Enjoy your CBC if you are participating, Todd Hagedorn -- Ontbirds and Birdnews are moderated email Listservs provided by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) as a service to all birders in Ontario. Birdnews is reserved for announcements, location summaries, first of year reports, etc. To post a message on Birdnews, send an email to: [email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Birdnews Moderators by email at [email protected]. Please review posting rules and guidelines at http://ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines To edit your membership settings visit the Birdnews setup page at: http://ontbirds.ca/mailman/listinfo/birdnews_ontbirds.ca. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all Ontario birders should be taking extra precautions and following local, provincial, and federal regulations regarding physical distancing and non-essential travel. To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
