SPNC CBC - Saturday, December 15, 2012

[Bird Brain]

A big Thank You to Bob (rcflier) for participating in today's Christmas Bird Count!  We started out at 7:15am and finished at 11:45am, counting at Plowman's Park, Lake Wabukayne, West end of Lake Aquitaine and Maplewood Park.  Sighted the following:

Canada Goose x 15
Mallard x 59
Sharp-shinned Hawk x 1 (attacking gulls at Lake Aquitaine) - Oops, update: tagged Peregrine Falcon!
Red-tailed Hawk x 1 (Plowman's Park)
Ring-billed Gull x 120
Mourning Dove x 7
Downy Woodpecker x 1 (male)
American Crow x 1
Black-capped Chickadee x 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch x 5
White-breasted Nuthatch x 3
Northern Mockingbird x 1 (Lake Wabukayne)
Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco x 8
Northern Cardinal x 14 (6m, 8f)
House Finch x 3 (2m, 1f)
House Sparrow x 164

Total # of Species:  16
Total # of Birds: 407

Our 2 good locations today were the West end of Lake Wabukayne and West end of Lake Aquitaine.  We also sighted some sort of "mystery gull" at Lake Aquitaine and both guessed imm. Great Black-backed Gull but will wait for confirmation from photos taken by Bob.  Update: Herring Gull.

Lake Aquitaine:  SE corner of Glen Erin Dr./Aquitaine Ave., behind Meadowvale Community Centre.

Lake Wabukayne:  NE corner of Glen Erin Dr./Windwood Dr., behind condo and school.

Plowman's Park:  SE corner of Glen Erin Dr./Battleford Rd., behind seniors building.

Maplewood Park:  East side of Glen Erin Dr., just North of Aquitaine Ave.

[Reuven_M]

I spent the whole day walking around Riverwood, Erindale and Springbank park, the obvious highlight was a Common Yellowthroat in Erindale. Full list:

Canada Goose - 9
American Black Duck - 1
Mallard - 67
Red-tailed Hawk - 3
Ring-billed Gull - 25
Herring Gull - 12
Rock Pigeon - 18
Mourning Dove - 37
Belted Kingfisher - 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 3
Downy Woodpecker - 13
Hairy Woodpecker - 7
American Kestrel - 1
Blue Jay - 1
American Crow - 4
Black-capped Chickadee - 87
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 7
Brown Creeper - 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2
American Robin - 4
European Starling - 1
Cedar Waxwing - 14
Common Yellowthroat - 1
American Tree Sparrow - 37
Dark-eyed Junco - 61
Northern Cardinal - 42
House Finch - 18
Common Redpoll - 1
American Goldfinch - 38
House Sparrow - 59

[Bird Brain]

Hi Reuven.  Nice list!  

I had hoped to see a Brown Creeper up here in the "North" count, but none around.  Also surprised to see no Blue Jays, Rock Pigeons or Starlings - meanwhile, today sighted 300+ Rock Pigeons close to Winston Churchill/Burnhamthorpe on hydro wires.  

Did you go to the get-together afterwards in Oakville?  I didn't go due to my cutoff time this year had to be 12 noon at the latest.