The 41st SCNWA CBC was held on Jan 1, 2021. The day started off cloudy with temperatures just below freezing and a light east wind of about 15 km/h. By mid-morning, the east winds had picked up to 20-30 km/h, and it went downhill from there. By early afternoon the east winds were 45-60 km/h and precipitation began, first with light rain mixed with snow pellets, which turned to freezing rain. Since most birders came from a bit of distance, heading home early was deemed the safe decision, so most counting ended by mid-afternoon.
In spite of the weather, the 16 participants scoured their respective territories to record 90 species, which is the fourth highest ever, and not far off of the all-time high of 93 species. Most of the water was open to partially open, resulting in 27 species of waterfowl. Highlights included: -one new species, Trumpeter Swan New highs for several species: (new/previous) -Greater White-fronted Goose (5/2) -Northern Shoveler (199/61) -Bald Eagle (58/50) -Lesser Black-backed Gull (10/3) -Double-crested Cormorant (25/10) Count week species included Great Egret and Marsh Wren. American Crow numbers were down officially, but not really. During most of the day they are to the east or south of the count circle. It is only when they come in to the roost, which is in the count circle, at dusk that most of the ~100,000 birds can be counted. Due to the inclement weather and fewer counters at the end of the day, the official number is down to a mere 35,015 crows. Allen Woodliffe, compiler Chatham -- 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.
