By John Francis, Bruce Peninsula Press
Tobermory’s 49th annual Christmas Bird Count was held on Wednesday, December 15. It was a dim, cloudy day with a stiff breeze and drizzle in the morning. 38 birders, divided into ten groups, set out at dawn to document the area’s winter bird population.
Despite the less-than-optimal viewing conditions, they documented a slightly higher than usual species richness at 42 species, although overall numbers were below average at 1,400 birds. Observers tallied record numbers of Bald Eagles (13) and near-record numbers of Wild Turkeys (47). The highlight of the day was probably a Lapland Longspur, only the third observation of this species in 49 years. A Winter Wren was also observed; the first one since 2005.
Count week observations included the first-ever records of Fox Sparrow (a few hundred kilometres north of its usual winter range) and Townsend’s Solitaire, a thrush species not normally seen east of the Rockies.
