125th Christmas Bird Count in Canada

This yr marked the a hundred and twenty fifth season of the Christmas Fowl Rely (CBC) in Canada, a milestone in our long-running volunteer-science custom. As in previous years, hundreds of individuals of all ages braved the Canadian climate, working collectively to hunt out and respect winter birdlife.  

Thanks to all who contributed to this long-term dataset, which continues to be an more and more vital supply of documentation for conservation. Wish to understand how your contribution on the CBC helps birds – look no additional than the just lately launched State of Canada’s Birds Report.

BREAKDOWN

A complete of 481 CBC circles submitted outcomes for the a hundred and twenty fifth in Canada. Ten new or revived counts have been registered for the 2024-25 season: Excessive Degree, AB; Crawford Bay, Quesnel, Takla Touchdown, Tofino, Ucluelet, BC; Comber, Thorndale, ON; Chute-St-Philippe, St-Anne-du-Lac, QC. Essentially the most Counts befell in Ontario (136), adopted by British Columbia (99), and Alberta (59).  

Total participation elevated by 1.69% through the a hundred and twenty fifth in Canada. A complete of 519 folks (275 Discipline + 244 Feeder) participated on the Edmonton, AB, depend, which is the best for any CBC! In descending order, Victoria, Calgary, Vancouver, Ottawa-Gatineau, London, Quebec, Pitt Meadows, Kingston, Galiano-North Saltspring, Toronto, Halifax-Dartmouth, Ladner, White Rock-Surrey-Langley, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Sidney-South Saltspring, Kitchener, Montreal, and Nanaimo all reported 100 or extra contributors. 

Climate through the a hundred and twenty fifth after an El Niño earlier season was significantly gentle. Nonetheless, a lower in species variety could also be a sign that climate through the earlier summer time was extra typical. The Atlantic area skilled a combined bag of variable climate together with excessive snowfall main as much as Christmas. A lot of the nation suffered a couple of chilly snaps main as much as December, adopted by a sustained gentle begin to winter. Coastal areas of British Columbia reported some blustery climate through the Rely Interval. 

Rely circles in Canada recorded 284 species this season, a lower of 9 species in comparison with the earlier yr. The highest ten most plentiful species when it comes to people reported on Canadian counts through the 125^th CBC season, listed from highest to lowest, have been: Canada Goose, American Crow, European Starling, Mallard, Pine Siskin, Black-capped Chickadee, Dunlin, Rock Pigeon, Snow Goose, and American Wigeon.Three species:  Ruby‑throated Hummingbird, Steller’s Sea‑Eagle and Sage Thrasher, have been newly added to the all-time Canadian listing, bringing it to 446 species.  4 further species: Blue‑winged Teal, White‑tailed Ptarmigan, American Bittern and American Redstart, have been solely recorded throughout Rely Week (the three days prior and three days after the official depend day).

BIRD HIGHLIGHTS

A formidable 73,846 Snow Goose have been at St-Jean-sur-le-Richelieu, QC, whereas a single Ross’s Goose (St. Clair N.W.A., ON) and two Pink-footed Goose (Wolfville, NS) have been notable. The one Blue-winged Teal in Canada was a Rely Week hen for St. Thomas, ON. The Eurasian Wigeon and Tufted Duck capital of North America was St. John’s, NL, through the a hundred and twenty fifth. Level Pelee, ON, reported a North American excessive depend for each Better Scaup (14,364) and Purple-breasted Merganser on Lake Erie, whereas Peach Tree, ON, did the identical on Lake Ontario. On the west Coast, Decrease Howe Sound harboured the North American excessive depend of 1384 Barrow’s Goldeneye. 

Grey Partridges have been at a excessive of 1651 in Regina, SK whereas Yellowknife, NT, reported a excessive of 263 Willow Ptarmigan, which tracks with different experiences of this species growing. Even probably the most city circles are habitat for top densities in some species, as demonstrated by Toronto, ON, with the North American Excessive Rely of 5601 Rock Pigeon. Lengthy Level is steadily changing into an overwinting hub for Sandhill Cranes with over ten thousand reported. 

A formidable 23 species of shorebirds have been recorded through the a hundred and twenty fifth. The White Rock-Surrey-Langley depend reported one Lengthy-billed Curlew, 4 Marbled Godwits, one Ruff and one Willet. Close by Ladner, BC, hosted one American Avocet, two Hudsonian Whimbrel, and one Lesser Yellowlegs, which is exceptionally uncommon throughout winter on the West Coast. Skidegate Inlet, BC had a North American excessive depend for Black Turnstone (447) and in addition notable have been 313 Purple Sandpipers at Tadoussac, QC. The one jaeger through the a hundred and twenty fifth was a single Parasitic at Tlell, BC. Additionally on Haida Gwaii, the Rose Spit depend witnessed North American excessive counts of Widespread Murre (7400) and Historic Murrelet (4500). In the meantime, alcids on the East Coast included 4 Dovekie (St. John’s, NL), 37 Razorbill (Perce, QC), 17 Thick-billed Murre, 125 Black Guillemot, and two Atlantic Puffin (Cape Race, NL). 

Fourteen gull species included one Little Gull at Niagara Falls, ON, 5 Western Gulls at Tofino, BC, and North American excessive depend for Iceland Gulls in St. John’s, NL (1621). The Little River-Powell River Ferry, BC, depend reported the North American Excessive depend for Pacific Loon (4492), whereas single experiences of Yellow-billed Loon got here from six circles in British Columbia. A Northern Fulmar and eight Northern Gannet from Halifax-Dartmouth, NS, have been notable. The one American Bittern was a depend week hen at Ladner, BC, whereas there have been single Nice Egrets at Chilliwack, BC, and Cape Sable Island, NS, and one Inexperienced Heron at Orillia, ON. 

Undoubtedly, the raptor spotlight of the a hundred and twenty fifth was the long-staying Steller’s Sea-Eagle, recorded within the Terra Nova N.P. (north), NL, circle. There have been twelve Golden Eagles a-soaring from Oliver-Osoyoos, BC and 39 Tough-legged Hawk from Sackville, NB. Some owls skilled bumper years through the a hundred and twenty fifth with Nice Grey being probably the most spectacular. 40 people have been reported from a circle in central Alberta, whereas the North American excessive for Snowy Owl got here from Kingston, ON. 

The woodpecker household is often properly represented throughout CBCs in Canada and the a hundred and twenty fifth was no exception. A Lewis’s Woodpecker at Squamish, BC, and North American excessive counts for each American Three-toed Woodpecker (12 at Sheep River, AB) and Northern Flicker (468 at Victoria, BC).

One Black Phoebe in Vancouver, BC, helps a northward creep for this species. The one reported migratory vireo was a single Blue-headed Vireo on Cape Sable Island, NS. Three ubiquitous corvids, Black-billed Magpie, American Crow, and Widespread Raven all had excessive counts in Canada from Calgary, AB (3129), St. Clair N.W.A., ON (122,000), and Yellowknife, NT (1703), respectively. A formidable 2651 Black-capped Chickadee from Ottawa-Gatineau, ON, and 2646 Chestnut-backed Chickadee in Victoria, BC, have been each excessive counts for the Western Hemisphere. 

Just a few Northern Home Wren braved the Canadian winter through the a hundred and twenty fifth with singles from Decrease Howe Sound, BC, and Blenheim, Goderich, and Stratford, ON. One Swainson’s Thrush at Revelstoke, BC, bears mentioning, and naturally the Sage Thrasher from Regina, SK, was a brand new species for the All-time CBC listing in Canada. 

Some finches have been reported in wholesome numbers through the a hundred and twenty fifth together with North American hIghs for Night Grosbeak (1506 at Chicoutimi-Jonquiere, QC), Redpoll (1460 at Prince George, BC), White-winged Crossbill (949 at Edmonton, AB), and Pine Siskin (8765 at Sooke, BC). 

A North American excessive depend of Snow Bunting got here from Comber, ON. Single Harris’s Sparrows have been reported at Harrison River and Oliver-Osoyoos, BC; Riverside-Albert, Sackville, NB; and Love, SK. A Bullock’s Oriole was at Cape Sable Island, NS, whereas a formidable 15 Baltimore Orioles have been on the Halifax-Darmouth, NS depend. Warblers that made appearances through the a hundred and twenty fifth included Ovenbird (Cape Sable Island, NS; Owen Sound, ON), Black-and White Warbler (Peel-Halton Counties, ON), Cape Might Warbler (Ferryland, NL), Northern Parula (Cape Sable Island, Halifax-Dartmouth, NS), Northern Yellow Warbler (Pickering, ON), Yellow-throated Warbler (St. John’s, NL), and Prairie Warbler  (Brier Island, NS). Different neotropic treats reported embody the Summer time Tanager at Ladner, BC, a Western Tanager at White Rock-Surrey-Langley, BC, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak at Pakenham-Arnprior, ON, and Dickcissel at Pictou Harbour, The Sydneys, NS; and Pakenham-Arnprior, ON).

REFLECTIONS

Over the previous season, I’ve considered what it’s that makes the CBC an vital custom for me, on a private degree. Throughout my time as CBC Coordinator for the previous 5 years, I’ve had absolutely the privilege to work with so many extremely devoted volunteers who step up yr after yr to steer or comply with their group in a century and 1 / 4 yr previous custom.

Regardless of the typically difficult climate, collaborating on a CBC was all the time a strategy to get outdoors. And whether or not knowingly or not, getting time outdoors, even throughout winter contributes positively to our wellbeing. I additionally actually take pleasure in winter birding, so an excuse to play treasure hunt in your designated route or slice of a circle for the day with some mates, or at the least like-minded people, is all the time a great time. 

For me, this yr was additional particular and I used to be lucky to take part on seven totally different counts through the a hundred and twenty fifth season. Issues kicked off on the primary day of the interval , December 14 on a gale pressure winds sort of day on the Sunshine Coast, BC Rely. Against this, the next day on the Ladner Rely was a lot calmer, at the least inland, and contributors loved clear skies and sunshine. Subsequent it was off to Haida Gwaii the place my supply to help with three counts, Port Clements, Rose Spit, and Tlell, was taken up (read more about that adventure). I then made it dwelling simply in time for Christmas, adopted by a brief household journey to Baja California Sur. A pleasant native Compiler for the San José del Cabo CBC included my outcomes collected from our resort. Upon returning again to the Metro Vancouver space, there was another depend I might take part on, so I spent a beautiful day on the Pitt Meadows Rely. It was a season for the highlights reel!

Whether or not from out in distant locations, residential again alleys, or out of your yard, each contribution is efficacious and performs a task in conservation. Thanks and good birding!