By Gerard McNaughton
The count itself was a bit tougher than in past years as birds were hunkered down, many feeders were empty, and snow and light conditions made visibility very difficult at times especially as the day went on. On a positive note a total of 8 Eastern Bluebirds were found by 2 parties in the Walkerton area, a new species for the count circle. No additional reports were received during count week, so this years total will stand at 47 species. Thank you to everyone who participated and continues to make this such a great day.
Great Blue Heron 3
Canada Goose 1044
Mute Swan 7
American Black Duck 5
Mallard 407
Common Goldeneye 63
Hooded Merganser 1
Common Merganser 18
Bald Eagle 9
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2
Red-tailed Hawk 16
Rough-legged Hawk 10
American Kestrel 1
Ruffed Grouse 4
Ring-billed Gull 120
Herring Gull 443
Rock Pigeon 488
Mourning Dove 261
Eastern Screech-Owl 6
Snowy Owl 1
Belted Kingfisher 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker 10
Downy Woodpecker 40
Hairy Woodpecker 20
Northern Flicker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 5
Northern Shrike 7
Blue Jay 257
American Crow 506
Common Raven 7
Horned Lark 3
Black-capped Chickadee 288
Red-breasted Nuthatch 7
White-breasted Nuthatch 49
Brown Creeper 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet 13
Eastern Bluebird 8 (new count species)
American Robin 3
European Starling 1636
Cedar Waxwing 19
American Tree Sparrow 44
Dark-eyed Junco 147
Snow Bunting 1675
Northern Cardinal 14
House Finch 63
American Goldfinch 387
House Sparrow 213
Gull sp. 135
Total # birds = 8487
Mark your calendars now the next Hanover-Walkerton Christmas Bird Count will take place on Saturday, December 19, 2020.
