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January 4, 2015

Christmas Bird Count Results 2014

The 41st Algonquin Park Christmas Bird Count (CBC) was held on Saturday, January 3, 2015. A mostly calm, overcast morning was good for observing, but nearly continuous light to moderate snowfall in the afternoon made locating birds more difficult. The temperature ranged from -13°C to -6°C. The only open water was in fast-moving sections of creeks and rivers. Moderate snow depth allowed fairly easy walking without snowshoes.

Overall Results

Total Observers: 64
Total Species: 20 (tied lowest ever in 1997; average is 28)
Total Individuals: 1,148 (average is 4,785)
Birds per Party Hour: 6 (but low of 4 birds/party hour has occurred in two previous years)
New Species for the Count: none

Noteworthy Species

Hoary Redpoll 1 (at the Visitor Centre feeders since December 30)

Hoary Redpoll (left) and Common Redpoll (right) at the Algonquin Visitor Centre. The rarer Hoary Redpoll shows a paler rump, less streaking on the sides, and a slightly smaller bill compared to the Common Redpoll. Hoary Redpolls in Algonquin Park are often mixed in Common Redpoll flocks making identification challenging. (Click to enlarge image.)

Noteworthy Total Individuals:

Barred Owl 9 (ties highest count; abundant small mammals this year)

Finches

The total of 28 individuals was lower than on any of the previous 40 years of counts. There is an extremely poor tree seed crop in the Park this winter.

Red Crossbill 3
Common Redpoll 11
Hoary Redpoll 1
American Goldfinch 1
Unidentified finches 12

Species Observed on the 2014 Algonquin Park CBC

Ruffed Grouse 24
Spruce Grouse 1
Barred Owl 9
Downy Woodpecker 51
Hairy Woodpecker 40
Black-backed Woodpecker 15
Pileated Woodpecker 14
Gray Jay 21
Blue Jay 18
Common Raven 78
Black-capped Chickadee 661
Boreal Chickadee 10
Red-breasted Nuthatch 71
White-breasted Nuthatch 20
Brown Creeper 7
Golden-crowned Kinglet 74
Red Crossbill 3
Common Redpoll 11
Hoary Redpoll 1
American Goldfinch 1

Woodpecker sp. 6
Finch sp. 12

Total Number of Species 20
Total Number of Individuals 1,148

Number of Observers: 64
Total Party Hours: 182.8
Total Distance (km): 662.9
Birds Per Party Hour: 6.3

A big thanks to all those who participated in the count.

Ron Tozer
Algonquin Park CBC Compiler

Birders reporting records through eBird are encouraged to share their lists with the Algonquin Park Bird Records account (APPbirds).

Please send us any bird sightings you've had in the park, even of common birds, as they assist us in documenting Algonquin Park's bird life.

What is the Christmas Bird Count?

The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a long-standing program of the National Audubon Society, with over 100 years of citizen science involvement. It is an early-winter bird census, where thousands of volunteers across the US, Canada and many countries in the Western Hemisphere, go out over a 24 hour period to count birds.

How is the Christmas Bird Count conducted?

Count volunteers follow specified routes through a designated 24-km diameter circle, counting every bird they see or hear all day. It’s not just a species tally—all birds are counted all day, giving an indication of the total number of birds in the circle that day. If observers live within a CBC circle, they may arrange in advance to count the birds at their feeders and submit those data to their compiler. All individual CBC’s are conducted in the period from December 14 to January 5 (inclusive dates) each season, and each count is conducted in one calendar day.

Why was the Christmas Bird Count started?

The first CBC was done on Christmas Day of 1900 as an alternative activity to an event called the “side hunt” where people chose sides, then went out and shot as many birds as they could. The group that came in with the largest number of dead birds won the event. Frank Chapman, a famed ornithologist at the American Museum of Natural History and the editor of Bird-Lore (which became the publication of the National Association of Audubon Societies when that organization formed in 1905) recognized that declining bird populations could not withstand wanton over-hunting, and proposed to count birds on Christmas Day rather than shoot them.

Is the Christmas Bird Count useful?

Absolutely. The data collected by observers over the past century allow researchers, conservation biologists, and interested individuals to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America.