Guest blogger Christine Trudeau presents results of Vankleek Hill's 37th annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) held recently in the Vankleek Hill-Hawkesbury area (traduction en français possible)

N.B. Dans la case à droite, choisir English puis French apparaîtra comme un choix parmi toutes les autres langues.  Ensuite cliquez French, et Google traduira l'article en français.  JB.

Hello all,

The 37th edition of the Vankleek Hill Christmas Bird Count (CBC) took place on December 20, 2015.   A total of 19 field participants and 48 feeder-watchers took part. 

What a strange count!!!  December`s mild weather, and the lack of snow and ice made for pleasant birding but it was difficult to find the birds as they were spread out quite a bit as they searched for food.  The lack of ice on the Ottawa River provided waterfowl and eagles with plenty of open water outside the count circle and unfortunately they were difficult to find in their usual haunts. 

 A total of 51 species was tallied, 8 species less than the record high of 59 obtained in 2012.  The total of 13,767 individual birds were counted of which 7,012 were Canada Geese.  This was less than the 2006 record count of 14,520 individual birds, again of which 8,032 were Canada Geese.

This is the first time that the total number of species for the Vankleek Hill CBC has been surpassed by the Alfred-Montebello (56 species) and the Forêt Larose-Casselman (60 species) counts. 

The 37-year average is 40 species per count.

A new species, this White-winged Scoter (Macreuse brune) 

brings the cumulative species total to 97.

 Record highs are:  (previous highs and year recorded are in parenthesis)

Northern Harrier 7 (4 in 2006)

Great Black-backed Gull (Goéland marin) 401 (137 in 2006)

American Crow 1030 (447 in 2006)

Tied Records are:  (tied year in parenthesis)

White-crowned Sparrow 6 (2004 and 2013)

I would like to thank each and every one of the field participants and those of you checking your feeders: 

Field Participants:

1.      Sheldon Harvey and Wayne Grubert

2.     Leslie-Ann Howes, Charles Francis, Véronique Gratton- Drolet and Ria    Quik

3.     Bill Radix, Dieter Heinje, Paul Schoening and William Akkerman

4.    Leslie Dandy and Elaine Kennedy

5.   Jonathan France, Hermann Frouin and Alistair McDonald

6.   Jacques Bouvier, Christine Trudeau Brunet, Lance Laviolette and Dick Moore

Feeder Watchers:

1.  Evelyn and Dawn Jean-Louis, Michelle et Lucien Paquette,  and Katrine Stewart

2. Shirley and Stella Howes, Ted and Audrey Nelson, Mike and  Anita Regan,       Heather and Mark Meyer

3. Anne MacGillivray, Nicole St Pierre, Rose-Mary Deley,  Ian MacLennan, Nick      Thomas and Joan Rigby, Frances Fraser, Carol Tisdall and sister,  Clara Taylor,      Louise Seguin, Eric Northrup, Valerie Fraser, and Phyllis Nobel

4.  Rolland Binette, Rosalind Charest, Leigh Mode, Margaret and  Laurier Dupelle,      Mary Higginson, Anna and Rodolphe Hausermann

5.  Verne Gilkes, and  Lucia Trommer

6.  Pierrette and Louis Beaudoin, Donald MacTavish, Jackie Craig,  Lise and      Maurice Landry, Gaston Cadieux and Louise Montminy,  Leslie Ann Shane, Peter      and Jean Hodgson

You all did a GREAT JOB!!!  I look forward to seeing this year's crew and other new faces next year as we repeat this great, fun event!!

Christine