Hi everyone,
The 55th annual Minden Christmas Bird Count was held on Saturday,
December 18th. The weather was cooperative in the first few hours, with
light winds, overcast skies, and relatively mild temperatures (-4°C to
-1°C). Due to the warm spell in the previous weeks, many of the large
lakes were wide open and ice-free. By 10:30am, however, the snow
arrived, falling heavily at times. This hampered visibility in the
latter part of the day and made driving more challenging. Despite this,
a total of 32 field observers participated (a record number), as well as
15 feeder watchers (likely more with data still trickling in).
At this point, the total number of birds counted (4238) coincides almost
exactly with the 20-year average of 4282. A total of 51 species have
been recorded so far, plus another 3 count week birds, well above the
average of 45. As predicted, the diversity was relatively high with
several winter finches well represented.
There were several highlights on the count including: 5 Red-breasted
Mergansers, 1 male Black-backed Woodpecker, 1 Canada Jay, 2 Red-bellied
Woodpeckers, 2 Cedar Waxwings among a flock of Bohemians, 2
White-throated Sparrows, and a 1 Northern Cardinal. The bird of the day
was undoubtedly the Eastern Screech Owl discovered by one team in the
early morning hours, a new species for the count circle. This brings the
species total to 109, with 3 additional count week birds. An American
Kestrel observed the day before the count would have also been new but
could not be located on count day in the heavy snow.
The following species either tied or surpassed previous record highs
(previous record in brackets):
Bufflehead - 6 (6)
Ring-billed Gull – 16 (5)
Notable misses:
House Sparrow
Winter finches:
Pine Grosbeak (CW only, a few small flocks moving around the circle),
Evening Grosbeak (18),
Red Crossbill (1, other small flocks reported during CW),
White-winged Crossbill (77),
Purple Finch (6),
Common Redpoll (867)
Pine Siskin (47)
American Goldfinch (354)
A huge thanks to all the participants, especially those braving the
nasty weather.
Cheers!
Ed Poropat
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