The results are in from the region’s latest Christmas Bird Count.
Coordinated by Midland-Penetanguishene Field Naturalists club member David Schandlen, the group set records for the highest number of species recorded during the recent December count.
Observers recorded 64 species plus two other taxa (hawk species and gull species), thereby clipping the previous record of 58 species plus 3 other taxa recorded in 2012, 2021 and 2022.
The December effort also featured the highest number of individual birds counted at 8,348, far surpassing the previous record of 6,771 in 2022.
And perhaps most importantly, it featured the highest number of volunteers involved in the count with 47 area residents participating compared to the previous record of 42 in 2022.
Participants were divided into 17 areas, which are consistent from year-to-year and feature a 15-mile radius. Wyebridge is the centre of the local count circle, an area encompassing both the Wye and Tiny marshes.
Bob Codd, president of the local field naturalists club, said going out in groups to look for birds is not only fun, but also contributes to conservation efforts.
“It challenges your observational skills and makes you pay real attention to what's around you. Best of all it gets you out in nature and to quote a friend, ‘saves wear and tear on the sofa.’"
Codd said dealing with the elements is always part of the experience.
“This year we enjoyed favourable conditions,” Codd said. “An unexpected bonus from the mild temperatures was being able to drive with the car windows down and actually listen for birds.
“We observed a number of birds that we would have missed in whiteout conditions and with the car heater roaring. Unfrozen lakes make a huge difference too and I'm sure that waterfowl numbers are way up. “
The group recorded new high counts for belted kingfisher (3; 1 counted in 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993); red-bellied woodpecker (16; 10 counted in 2021, 2022); European starling (1647; 952 counted in 1999); American goldfinch (590; 431 counted in 2022) and northern cardinal (38; 34 counted in 2020).
They also added two new species to their list this year: tundra swan (2) and brown thrasher (1).
Codd said what makes the local count special for him is the club’s get-together afterwards.
“As a birder I'm always interested in who is seeing what and where,” he said. “There were some surprises in the lists and one or more genuine rarities.
“There also seemed to be unexpectedly large flocks of birds out there that caught the attention of the birders in the crowd. It was interesting to note reactions as the count lists revealed their surprises.”
Codd also credited Schandlen with “willingly and cheerfully taking on this daunting task.”
“Dave's work on this starts long before the count day and extends well beyond,” Codd said.
“From wrangling volunteers to assigning count areas, tallying count totals and populating spreadsheets and even decking the halls we absolutely could not do this without him.”
The Audubon Christmas Bird Count is the oldest and largest citizen science program in the world. It provides valuable information on population dynamics and trends for hundreds of North American bird species that are frequently encountered on count day.
To view the local count and total count results from 1900 to the most recent offering check out the Audubon website.
