Under ideal weather conditions the annual Hanover/Walkerton Christmas Bird Count was conducted on Saturday, December 19th, 2009.
Let me start by thanking the 29 field observers who participated in the annual count. Without all involved we wouldn’t have the successful count that we did.
Another successful year is in the books, and we set 4 new high record counts during this years count. The actual species total of 46 was slightly lower than the count average of 48 but this is probably attributed to no winter finches. In the same breath the overall count of 8291 birds was the fifth best total overall.
Mute Swan 4
Canada Goose 30
Wood Duck 1
Mallard 220
Common Goldeneye 31
Hooded Merganser 1
Common Merganser 9
Noerthern Harrier 1
Sharp-Shinned Hawk 5
Coopers Hawk 3
Red-tailed Hawk 43
Rough-legged Hawk 16
Bald Eagle 3
American Kestrel 3
Ruffed Grouse 4
Wild Turkey 162 Record High
Ring-billed Gull 67
Herring Gull 326
Glaucous Gull 1
Great Black-backed Gull 4 Record High
Rock Dove 620
Mourning Dove 321
Eastern Screech Owl 10
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 7
Downy Woodpecker 68 Record High
Hairy Woodpecker 31
Pileated Woodpecker 7 Record High
Northern Shrike 9
Blue Jay 219
American Crow 740
Common Raven 6
Black-capped Chickadee 776
Red-breasted Nuthatch 39
White-breasted Nuthatch 55
Brown Creeper 11
Golden-crowned Kinglet 7
European Starling 1,797
American Tree Sparrow 121
Dark-eyed Junco 349
Snow Bunting 416
Northern Cardinal 50
Purple Finch 1
House Finch 134
American Goldfinch 630
House Sparrow 934
Total birds 8,291
2 Additional birds will be recorded as count week birds
Great Horned Owl found by Clarke Birchard Dec 21
Snowy Owl found by Gary Nafziger Dec 22
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Unidentifed birds
Merganser Species 1
Duck Species 5
Accipiter Species 1
Buteo Species 4
Woodpecker Species 1
Thanks again to all who helped out with this years count.
Jerry & Joan Asling, Minerva Cook, Sandra Powell, Bob Gray, Natalie Gray, Kevin Kuipers, Mike & Helen Beaulieu, James Turland, Simon Turland, Gary Nafziger, Lynn Stoltzfus, Dave & Jean Schaus, Dorothy Kings, John Reaume, Murray Townsend, Val Mitchell, Joy Albrecht, Charlene McNaughton, Judith King, Clarke Birchard, Kim Sayers, Walter Muma, Vivianne Hebert, Sarah Clemons.
Hope to see everyone again next year. Mark your calendars for Sat. Dec 18, 2010