Northumberland Summer Bird Count 2015

Nature Notes for June 26, 2015

The 19^th Northumberland Summer Bird Count was held on the weekend of June 6 and 7, 2015. Thirty-three participants scoured the backroads and trails in the Northumberland Forest and the marshes on the south shore of Rice Lake by car, foot, bicycle and canoe to count 12,552 birds of 133 species.

A high wind on Saturday made counting very difficult. At this time of year, many birds are detected by their songs and calls. In windy conditions, the birds don’t sing as much and they are much more difficult to hear. 

The wind may have contributed to the record high number of Turkey Vultures (129) counted. They seem to like wind; perhaps it gives these large birds extra lift so they don’t have to work so hard to fly.

The five Red-headed Woodpeckers found were also a high number for the count. These are listed as a Threatened species by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and a species of Special Concern by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry in Ontario Species at Risk list.

A record high five Red-headed Woodpeckers were found on this year's count.

photo © Rob Lonsberry Photography

Common Ravens are becoming increasingly numerous in Northumberland’s maturing forests. This year, a record 29 were found on the count.

Two other species tied their previous high record numbers: Bald Eagle at 1, and Cooper’sHawk at 4.

Two new species were added to the list. Three Sandhill Cranes were heard, two in the Roseneath area and one near Burnley. The previous Nature Notes column discussed the increase in their population locally.

A pair of Redhead (ducks) was found in a large pond north of Grafton, an unusual record for Northumberland during the breeding season. This species breeds primarily in the prairies of western North America.

Several species were counted in record low numbers. Among these was Golden-winged Warbler, which was missed completely for the second year in a row. Golden-winged Warblers can hybridize with Blue-winged Warblers. Golden-winged Warblers are being gradually displaced by Blue-wings in this area. The high winds made their high-pitched, buzzy song very difficult to hear, even if they were present.

The wind was probably also a factor in low numbers of Horned Larks, Grasshopper Sparrows, Eastern Meadowlarks and Vesper Sparrows. These are all species that occur in open grassland habitats, so can be very difficult to hear in high winds.

The stage of the breeding cycle also greatly affects the amount of song. When birds are actively feeding young, they do not sing very much.

Least Flycatchers, Black-and-white Warblers and White-throated Sparrows were also found in record low numbers. Although these species occur in more sheltered wooded areas, the winds also made it difficult to detect their song. Likely, though, the stage of the breeding cycle had more to do with failure to detect them.

At the end of the count, participants were treated to a barbecue at the home of one of the Willow Beach Field Naturalist members. This provided an opportunity to swap stories about the weekend and moan about the low bird totals. As always, birders are perpetual optimists and most are looking forward to June 2016, the 20^th anniversary of this count.