A report on the results of the 12th annual Forêt Larose-Casselman Christmas Bird Count (CBC) held on January 2, 2016 by guest blogger Christine Trudeau

Hello all,

The 12th edition of the Forêt Larose- Casselman CBC took place on January 2, 2016.   A total of 28 field participants and 4 feeder watchers took part. 

What a count!!  A total of 60 species was tallied, 8 species more than the record high of 52 obtained in 2013.  A total of 13,617 individual birds were counted, more than doubling the 2015 record of 6800 individuals.

The 12-year average is 45 species per count.  The following four NEW species brings the cumulative species total to 75:  Northern Pintail (1), American Coot (1), Lesser Black-backed Gull (1), and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1, see photo of male below). 

 Record highs are:  (previous highs in parenthesis)

American Kestrel 3 (1 in 2006 and 2011) See photo below

of male with recently caught rodent in Moose Creek.

Wild Turkey 262 (240 in 2014)

Herring Gull 4397 (828 in 2015)

Iceland Gull 30 (12 in 2014)

Horned Larks 429 (140 in 2007) See photo below of ''Northern''

subspecies which is dark and has yellow throat.  It does not nest locally.

The ''Prairie'' subspecies nests here and is pale, with white eyebrows and throat.

Red-breasted Nuthatch 94 (59 in 2015)

White-breasted Nuthatch 54 (45 in 2011)

Dark-eyed Junco 406 (363 in 2015)

Lapland Longspur 36 (25 in 2011)

Snow Bunting 1643 (889 in 2010)

Northern Cardinal 36 (35 in 2013)

Red Crossbill 3 (2 in 2012)

I`d like to thank each and every one of the participants for a job well done!!  I look forward to seeing this year's crew and other new faces next year for this great, fun event!!

For a complete list of all 60 species and their numbers please contact me at:

christinetb5@aol.com

Christine

 

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Christine Trudeau-Brunet
Compiler for ONVK,ONAM & ONFL

A juvenile Glaucous Gull (Goéland bourgmestre).  One of 33 counted on 2 January 2016

An adult ''Newfoundland'' Herring Gull (Goéland argenté); only 1 percent of this type is found in the east.  It shows very limited black in wingtips and is often confused with an adult Thayer's Gull. Several of this type were seen on 2 January at the Moose Creek landfill site, mixed in with about 4000 regular Herring Gulls.

A reminder to please contact me at: 

christinetb5@aol.com

for a complete list of all 60 species and their numbers, and/or if you would like to participate on the count next year.