Final results from the 45th annual North Bay Christmas Bird Count have birders flying high after drawing some positive conclusions.
“It was quite successful. Between the folks watching feeders and others counting in the field, we came up with 40 different species which is high, but not extremely high. We have often gotten there before, but some years we could only come up with just over 30,” shared Lori Anderson count compiler and member of the Nipissing Naturalists Club and Bird Wing.
The North Bay count covers a 15-mile radius central to Dugas Bay in Trout Lake.
See related: 'Citizen science': Birders see changing landscapes, climate in 125th annual count
Anderson attributes the numbers to a milder fall.
“There was some open water, so we found some waterfowl which we don’t always, and I would say the individual birds there were around 34 hundred, and that was high. I think that was bumped up a little bit. We had counted a great many chickadees, nearly twice as much as the same effort produced in the last few years. So, there was close to 12 hundred chickadees counted,” Anderson noted.
The black-capped chickadee numbers were a “noticeable surprise.”
“I think the chickadees were a little bit of a surprise, but that can happen. A lot of the bird populations do fluctuate. We did find some interesting birds like Cooper’s hawk which we don’t often find on our count. A couple of cardinals, red-bellied woodpeckers. There’s a number of species we often find, grey jay is another one, but we can’t always count on them, so they’re always fun,” explained Anderson.
“I was pleased that we were able to find a number of species of raptors because they are here, but they’re just a little harder to see and identify. We had a red-tailed hawk, a rough-legged hawk, and Cooper’s hawk. So, we have three species and some years we don’t get any. So, that was nice to see.”
See: Interesting sightings during the North Bay Christmas Bird Count
Another positive finding was the American goldfinch.
“That was quite interesting. We counted quite a few American goldfinch, but we counted zero redpoll. Oftentimes, we’ll count redpoll in the hundreds, and in those years we count very few or no goldfinch. They seem to have some kind of pact together that if one is in abundance, the other will be scarce,” laughed Anderson.
“And we had no Bohemian waxwing this year. They’re very nomadic, they fly all over the continent and some years you see a lot of them, and some years you don’t. So, we didn’t see the Bohemians this winter, but we saw a good number of evening grosbeak, we saw no purple finches, but in another year that could all be turned upside down.”
There are many reasons for fluctuations in numbers.
“A certain season might produce for some species say more cones in the trees so there are more tree feeds, with chickadees it would be more, I would suspect more insects. A lot of birds when they’re feeding their young, switch to insects,” explained Anderson.
“Sometimes spruce budworm really helps out how many young are produced in a year. So, if there is an outbreak of budworm, you’ll get an increase in numbers, even grosbeak is one that responds that way. So, it is probably something to do with feed for the chickadees.”
The count identified good news for winter birds.
“Our winter birds, the ones that stay, they generally are the ones that breed here for the most part, they are in fairly good shape it seems.”
There were other positive signs found in the data collected.
“That would be the bald eagle and wild turkey since the count has started. Wild turkeys have invaded our count circle. Fifteen visited the yard of one of our feeder watchers in Callander. However, there are some that have decreased like snow buntings. They move all over the place during the winter, and they like agricultural areas. So that doesn’t necessarily indicate the species as a whole has declined. It does show they’re not hanging around North Bay as much as they used to.”
The good news is the survey did not find anything of great concern.
“A lot of the bird populations do fluctuate. We did find some interesting birds like Cooper’s hawk which we don’t often find on our count. A couple of cardinals, and a red-bellied woodpecker,” Anderson noted.
A total of 32 feeder watchers counted for 62 hours and observed 679 birds representing 24 species.
Twenty-one field surveyors spent 65 hours covering just over 700 km by car and foot, adding 16 species and just over 28 hundred birds to the total.
“I think the participation was really good, we have a nice group of dedicated feeder watchers and that is really helpful because the birds are in their backyard,” noted Anderson.
“And then our surveyors themselves, there is a lot of expertise there and it is a tough job because you are out in the cold all day, and year after year they probably set aside some Christmas obligations to make sure they come out and cover their area. So, I think that is the most successful part of the count,” laughed Anderson.
Count results are available by going to the National Audubon Society website.
