Christmas Bird Count Report 2009

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

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