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Audubon Christmas Bird Count Results

The Audubon Christmas Bird Count is an annual event that takes place throughout North, Central and South America between mid-December and early January.  Each count takes place during a single calendar day and covers the area within a circle measuring 24 kilometers in diameter. The birders are often out from dawn to dusk recording not only the different species seen, but also the number of individuals of each species.  It is, in effect, the closest we come to a annual continental census of birds.

You do not have to be an expert birder to take part. Simply having another pair of eyes in the group invariably leads to more birds being found and counted. You can also participate as a feeder watcher.  If you can devote a couple of hours on count day to watching your feeder, your results can be included if your feeder is within the count circle.

The count results are submitted to the National Audubon Society, which supervises the counts and publishes the results in their journal American Birds.  In Canada, the count is conducted through Bird Studies Canada. This data, collected over a long period of time, can provide valuable information on the relative abundance and distribution of birds.  For more information on how the counts are conducted, visit the Bird Studies Canada CBC page or the Audubon CBC web site. 

There have been four official count circles in Timiskaming District where Christmas Bird Counts have been conducted.  The original circle was centered on New Liskeard, and ran from 1987 to 1991, with one early count having occurred in 1950.  In 1992, the center of the count circle moved to Haileybury, and, with the exception of 1999, has occurred there every year since.  This New Liskeard / Haileybury count is the main count for the area, though participation has declined in recent years.

In addition, there have been two supplemental count circles that have been added recently.   One centered on Mountain Chutes, just south of Hwy. 65 between New Liskeard and Elk Lake, has run every year from 2000 to present. A second, centered at Hilliardton Marsh, has run annually from 2002 to present.

The tables below show the raw count results for all counts that have occurred in Timiskaming District.
Flags included with species are:

UH

Unusually High Number

US

Unusual Species

CW

Reported in the area during Count Week, but not reported during the count. 

 

New Liskeard [ON04]

47.5 degrees North, -79.7 degrees West 

Species

1950

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991
Ring-necked Duck
 
 
 
 
2  
 
Common Goldeneye
 
1  
 
 
2  
 
Common Merganser
 
 
 
 
6  
 
Ruffed Grouse
8
 
1  
1  
 
2  
Northern Fulmar
 
 
0  CW
 
 
 
Northern Goshawk
 
 
1  
1  
 
2  
Rough-legged Hawk
 
 
 
 
1  
1  
Ring-billed Gull
 
 
 
 
 
10  
Herring Gull
 
 
 
 
 
3  
Rock Pigeon
 
84  
212  
155  
241  
75  
Mourning Dove
 
 
 
4  
9  
18  
Snowy Owl
0  CW
 
0  CW
 
 
 
Great Gray Owl
0  CW
 
 
 
 
 
owl sp.
 
 
1  
 
 
 
Downy Woodpecker
1  
2  
3  
5  
5  
5  
Hairy Woodpecker
1  
6  
7  
14  
13  
8  
Pileated Woodpecker
 
 
 
 
3  
3  
woodpecker sp.
 
 
 
3  
1  
 
Northern Shrike
 
 
3  
0  CW
3  
 
Gray Jay
 
3  
 
4  
12  
1  
Blue Jay
 
13  
18  
36  
27  
24  
American Crow
 
 
19  
42  
27  
8  
Common Raven
0  CW
40  
136  
174  
175  
130  
Black-capped Chickadee
 
65  
97  
282  
227  
109  
Boreal Chickadee
 
 
 
2  
 
 
Red-breasted Nuthatch
 
 
 
1  
 
 
White-breasted Nuthatch
 
 
1  
8  
3  
1  
Brown Creeper
 
 
 
 
1  
1  
American Robin
 
 
0  CW
 
1  
 
European Starling
 
300  
113  
802  
220  
299  
Bohemian Waxwing
 
200  
 
0  CW
63  
9  
American Tree Sparrow
 
 
 
 
15  
 
Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco
 
 
1  
6  
 
 
Snow Bunting
122  
78  
368  
535  
371  
99  
Red-winged Blackbird
 
 
1  
1  
 
 
Pine Grosbeak
 
8  
 
138  
3  
3  
Purple Finch
 
5  
 
 
 
 
White-winged Crossbill
2  
 
 
 
 
 
Common Redpoll
68  
344  
24  
3  
7  
55  
Pine Siskin
20  
150  
 
15  
 
40  
American Goldfinch
 
4  
 
 
6  
 
Evening Grosbeak
0  CW
162  
40  
139  
340  
87  
House Sparrow
 
126  
105  
23  
195  
8  
 
Count Date: 
Dec 31, 1950 
Dec 20, 1987 
Dec 18, 1988 
Dec 17, 1989 
Dec 25, 1990 
Dec 25, 1991 
Number of Participants: 
2 
9 
19 
17 
16 
6 
Number of Party Hours: 
0.0  
28.5  
23.3  
30.3  
35.8  
17.0  

 

Haileybury [ONNL]

47.45 degrees North, -79.75 degrees West 

Species

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007
Canada Goose
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
American Black Duck
 
1  
 
 
 
1  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mallard
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
duck sp.
 
 
1  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Long-tailed Duck
 
 
3  
 
 
 
1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Common Goldeneye
 
 
 
 
1  
 
3
 
1  
 
 
1  
 
3
 
Hooded Merganser
 
 
 
 
 
 
1
 
7  HC
 
 
1  
 
 
 
Common Merganser
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
40  HC
 
 
1  
 
2
 
Ruffed Grouse
10  
1  
10  
 
5  
1  
2
6  
6  
1  
3  
1  
 
1
 
Great Blue Heron
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
0  US,CW
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bald Eagle
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1   US
 
1
 
Northern Goshawk
 
1  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rough-legged Hawk
1  
3  
1  
1  
 
 
6
 
3  
 
1  
 
1  
2
 
American Kestrel
 
 
 
 
 
1  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ring-billed Gull
12  
 
4  
 
4  
 
3
 
14  
 
 
 
 
4
2
Herring Gull
 
1  
4  
 
1  
 
18
 
540  HC
 
 
 
 
45
 
Glaucous Gull
 
 
 
 
1  
 
1
 
4  HC
 
 
5  
1  
1
 
Great Black-backed Gull
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2  US
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rock Pigeon
257  
403  
121  
138  
262  
277  
498
280  
420  HC
300  
239  
61  
229  
60
16
Ringed Turtle-Dove
 
 
 
 
1  
 
1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mourning Dove
1  
 
3  
27  
27  
26  
16
7  
23  
16  
6  
8  
1  
6
 
Great Horned Owl
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Snowy Owl
0  CW
2  
 
1  
2  
 
 
1  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Northern Hawk Owl
0  CW
 
 
 
 
 
 
5  US,HC
 
 
1  
1  
 
 
 
Barred Owl
 
1  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Great Gray Owl
 
 
 
2  
2  
 
 
2  
 
 
 
3  
 
 
 
Downy Woodpecker
17  
7  
13  
10  
12  
16  
12
2  
5  
7  
5  
1  
2  
2
2
Hairy Woodpecker
19  
18  
20  
20  
19  
24  
24
6  
7  
8  
9  
1  
2  
4
5
Northern Flicker
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
1  US
  
  
1  
  
 
Pileated Woodpecker
3  
3  
1  
2  
2  
3  
6
1  
2  
1  
1  
1  
2  
 
1
Northern Shrike
1  
3  
2  
1  
1  
7  
3
4  
1  
 
 
 
2  
 
 
Gray Jay
14  
23  
10  
22  
25  
38  
15
7  
12  
2  
10  
13  
1  
2
2
Blue Jay
82  
91  
39  
28  
31  
99  
58
2  
23  
15  
21  
11  
36  
5
15
American Crow
13  
3  
11  
36  
41  
31  
24
8  
33  
102  HC
90  
12  
86  
8
21
Common Raven
153  
143  
163  
221  
294  
297  
442
420  HC
264  
273  
576  
459  
802  
420
208