CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT, 1996

By

Susann Myers

The bird count held on December 21st proved a bit of an ordeal for the hardy and determined birders who participated. A storm on December 20th brought steady gusts of over 100km per hour throughout that day. Although conditions were somewhat better on the 21st, winds continued to gust strongly from the WNW and it was difficult for observers to remain standing, in exposed areas along the coast. Numbers of birds and species were understandably lower than last year, with seabirds being blown offshore and other species remaining in deep cover. The lack of cone crop this year has also meant an absence of the crossbills, finches and grosbeaks that were so numerous last winter.

Despite the conditions, however, the determined efforts of participants both in the field and at feeders resulted in a count of 48 species and 1538 individual birds. The biggest highlight was a female Painted Bunting, which has been visiting a feeder in the yard of Cyneth and Gordon Hutt since mid-November. The Painted Bunting’s normal winter range is southern Florida and areas further south - this may well be the best bird seen in Nova Scotia during the 1996 Christmas count. Other sightings of particular interest were a Dickcissel spotted by Dave McCorquodale and Gerry Lalonde in a flock of House Sparrows at the Government Wharf, an American Wigeon seen by Gwendolen and Carlton Lunn in Louisbourg Harbour, large numbers of Red-necked Grebes and Common Eiders, and 2 Chipping Sparrows which were also seen at the Hutts’ feeder. The 48 species seen on December 21st were:

Common Loon Red-br. Merganser Mourning Dove Painted Bunting

Horned Grebe Bald Eagle Downy Woodpecker Dickcissel

Red-necked Grebe Spruce Grouse Hairy Woodpecker Amer. Tree Sparrow

Northern Gannet Ruffed Grouse Gray Jay Chipping Sparrow

Great Cormorant C. Blk-headed Gull Blue Jay Song Sparrow

Black Duck Herring Gull American Crow White-thr. Sparrow

American Wigeon Iceland Gull Common Raven Dark-eyed Junco

Common Eider Glaucous Gull Blk-capped Chickadee Snow Bunting

Oldsquaw Gr. Blk-backed Gull Boreal Chickadee Purple Finch

White-wing.Scoter Dovekie Red-br. Nuthatch Pine Siskin

Common Goldeneye Black Guillemot Gold.-cr. Kinglet Amer. Goldfinch

Bufflehead Rock Dove (pigeon) European Starling House Sparrow

Many thanks to the 32 participants who persevered on a day that was discouraging at best, including 14 patient feeder-watchers, 18 well-dressed field observers and our Pot Luck Supper host, Roger Wilson. Participants were:

Sandy Anthony and Peter Chiasson Mona MacLeod

Jean Bagnell John W. MacInnis (Big Pond)

Philip Burke Dr. David McCorquodale (Sydney)

Dianne and Bill Bussey Sandy McLain

Dr. Reverend Donald Campbell (Sydney) Pearl Magee

Ken Donovan (Sydney) Cathy and Francis Mailman

Sheila Fudge Geraldine and Hugh Metcalfe (Glace Bay)

Cyneth and Gordon Hutt Susann Myers

Gerry Lalonde Helen and William O’Shea

Gwendolen and Carlton Lunn Lee Anne Reeves

Miles and Walter MacDonald (Coxheath) Geraldine Touesnard-Joyce

Minnie MacLeod Roger Wilson

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