The 30th Huntsville CBC was held on Thursday, December 14th, with excellent conditions for birding. The morning was cloudy and there was sun in the afternoon, with little wind and temperatures ranging from minus 7 C to plus 4 C. The three big lakes and the river were mostly open, there was a maximum of 10 cm of snow on the ground, and good tree seed crops.
There were 40 observers and nine feeder reports. A total of 43 species (average 39) and 4898 individuals (average 4196) were observed, and Snow Bunting was recorded in Count Week. New Species for the Count: Rough-legged Hawk (1 photographed) New High Counts: Bald Eagle (13), Red Crossbill (96), Pine Siskin (472) Rarities: Canada Jay (1; first on the count since 2014) Finches: Evening Grosbeak (2), Pine Grosbeak (2), Purple Finch (156), Common Redpoll (251), Red Crossbill (96), White-winged Crossbill (11), Pine Siskin (472) and American Goldfinch (606). Thanks to all the field observers, with special appreciation to those who travel long distances to be on the count each year, and to our faithful feeder watchers. Ron Tozer Huntsville CBC Compiler -- 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 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.
