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1996 CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS

SpeciesThunder
Bay		NipigonMarathonAti-
kokan		Fort
Frances		IgnaceVerm.
Bay		KenoraPickle
Lake		Grand
Marais
Canada Goose4-----3--3
Duck sp.----7-----
Am. Black Duck---------43
Mallard1--------236
Oldsquaw---------68
American Widgeon---------1
Lesser Scaup--1-------
Common Goldeneye128119--32-37
Bufflehead---------1
Common Merganser---------1
Bald Eagle11-14-11-10
Sharp-shinned Hawk---------1
Northern Goshawk2--------1
Red-tailed Hawk1-1-------
Gyrfalcon2---------
Sharp-tailed Grouse----2-13-1-
Spruce Grouse---4--3--1
Ruffed Grouse13--418637
Ring-billed Gull---------1
Herring Gull712232------126
Glaucous Gull2-14-------
Rock Dove190026---732143-24
Mourning Dove---------1
Boreal Owl--------- CW
Snowy Owl---------CW
Great Gray Owl12-------1
Hawk Owl2---------
Downy Woodpecker2498916627367111
Hairy Woodpecker25102341153251549
Three-toed Woodpecker--------2-
Black-backed Woodpecker------CW--2
Pileated Woodpecker1--314411-5
Gray Jay92914321131121581724
Blue Jay7539145651695179-118
Black-billed Magpie1---2-181--
American Crow7159761--1-63
Common Raven844463231253350485161751154178
Black-capped Chickadee563109581311037430249634632
Boreal Chickadee33322-2114-4
Red-breasted Nuthatch478102611148564266
White-breasted Nuthatch5--391219-14
Gray Catbird---------2
Kinglet sp.--4-------
American Robin-1-------35
Brown Thrasher---------1
Bohemian Waxwing---3-137-594--
Cedar Waxwing4844-------11
Northern Shrike1-2-1-1--3
European Starling32953916248591146-96
Northern Cardinal---------1
American Tree Sparrow111063-11--10
Chipping Sparrow------11-1
Song Sparrow1---------
Harris' Sparrow--1-------
White-throated Sparrow1--4-----5
White-crowned Sparrow---------2
Sparrow sp.-6--------
Dark-eyed Junco471534441104489131
Lapland Longspur---------1
Snow Bunting20-6-30-18---
Red-Winged Blackbird23-----1--
Rusty Blackbird---2------
Brewers' Blackbird-3--------
Common Grackle52-3121-1CW
Pine Grospeak57397218488437409465-18
Purple Finch395882---42-503
House Finch----17-----
Red Crossbill----1411---7
White-winged Crossbill--2461-30---362
Common Redpoll2286814529639844
Pine Siskin26-3412--34-54
American Goldfinch16217361-1--140
Evening Grosbeak1233461995959133149041615635
House Sparrow4034--45-9510-1
Total Individuals85431325120615699971640196635212604092
Total Species43302828292229271352
Observers252996+165+146+15367+492+719+20
Total Party Hours8038.517N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A19N/A
Total Party Miles612113102N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A13N/A
SpeciesThunder
Bay		NipigonMarathonAti-
kokan		Fort
Frances		IgnaceVerm.
Bay		KenoraPickle
Lake		Grand
Marais

Legend:
 Species in red type are considered rare in the Thunder Bay District.
CW = Species present during count week but not encountered during the official Christmas Count.
Summary of the 1996 Thunder Bay Christmas Bird Count
by Nick Escott
December 1996 was quite a cold day, -22C in the morning, making it difficult for both the birds and the birders to venture out into the open air. Total party hours were down a bit from usual, partly because of the cold conditions, and partly because fewer observers were out in the field this year. Nevertheless we had a very respectable count, with 43 species tallied. This is only the fourth time we have exceeded 40 species, and this was our third highest species total ever, surpassed only by 1994 (53 species), and 1988 (49 species). The high species count was certainly due to the mild fall we had experienced right up until a few days before Christmas. This mild weather, with lighter than normal snowfall, caused many birds to linger in the Thunder Bay area much later than usual.

Tho Northern Goshawks were a pleasant surprise, and two Gyrfalcons on the waterfront obliged us by sitting on their favourite perches. Even though Lake Superior had frozen recently, there were still some gull flying over to the John Street dump.

This is an owl invasion winter, and we tallied 3 species, including two different Hawk Owls, s a species that hadn't been seen on the count since 1979.

Species lingering due to the mild weather included Cedar Waxwings, which were the only waxwing species seen this year; American Tree Sparrows, which tied the previous record of 11 individuals and; Dark-eyed Juncos, which stayed this year in unprecedented numbers: the 47 count smashed the old record of 21 set in 1989.

Also lingering further north than usual were the two least hardy winter finches: Purple Finches and American Goldfinches. Both were counted in good numbers, but no records were set. In contrast, there were very few Redpolls, and practically no Siskins. We were disappointed to miss House Finch, a species that had been seen in the fall, and was expected on the count.

Also curiously absent, particularly due to the bumber mountain ash berry crop, were American Robins and, as mentioned above, Bohemian Waxwings.

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