The 32nd Petroglyphs Christmas Bird Count was held on Thursday, December 27, 2017 during very cold conditions. It was nearly -30 degrees C first thing in the morning and only warmed up to about -18 by mid-afternoon.
Participants: 24
Total species: 32 (close to the 10-year average of 33.5)
Total individuals: 1826 (10-year average is 2248)
As a result of the very cold weather there was virtually no open water and therefore no waterbirds.
Notable species and count highs (no new record highs) included:
BALD EAGLE: 7 (slightly higher than average)
GOLDEN EAGLE: 1 sub-adult bird seen soaring over the Kawartha Nordic Ski Trails
BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER: 1 in the Petroglyphs Provincial Park (although previously recorded nearly every year this species has only been detected 3 times in the past 10 years)
GRAY JAY: a single bird was located in a bog along the Sandy Lake Rd (until 2009 recorded annually but since then only recorded in 2014 and during count period in 2016)
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH: 146 (well above the 10-year average of 87 but nowhere near the count high of 526)
AMERICAN ROBIN: 2 (absent in most years)
CEDAR WAXWING: 6 (absent in most years)
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW: 122 (well above the 10-year average of 18; count high is 218)
DARK-EYED JUNCO: 134 (well above the 10-year average of 12 and near count high of 168)
American Tree Sparrow – Karl Egressy
Low Counts:
RUFFED GROUSE: 7 (below 10-year average of 15 and the count high of 77)ROCK PIGEON: only a single flock of 10 (well below the 10-year average of 58 and the count high of 89)
WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH: 40 (well below the 10-year average of 80 and count high of 233)
EUROPEAN STARLING: 10 (below 10-year average of 26 and count high of 114)
Winter Finches:
PURPLE FINCH: 2
RED CROSSBILL: 41
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL: 8 including singing individuals
PINE SISKIN: 114
AMERICAN GOLDFINCH: 103
EVENING GROSBEAK: 2
Notable Misses:
SNOW BUNTING: recorded most years (has only been missed 5 times)
Colin Jones, Count Compiler
Male White-winged Crossbill – Wikimedia
Purple Finch (male) – Karl Egressy
Gray Jay -Tom Northey Algonquin Park – March 2014
