Yesterday, I had the pleasure of participating in the Sault Ste. Marie
Christmas Bird Count, which is run by the Sault Naturalists each year. I
joined Bob Knudsen, who teaches Ornithology at Sault College, Rob
Routledge, a professor at Sault College and a student they had recruited
to help out. Our job was to cover the downtown area of Sault Ste.
Marie, including Whitefish Island, one of the best places for birds in
the area.
Our morning started with a Bald Eagle sitting in a tree
right at the parking lot of Whitefish Island. As we started our walk, a
Downy Woodpecker flew off in the distance. The Black-capped Chickadees
were everywhere, which was no surprise for this location. A few more
Bald Eagles flew overhead and we figured there were at least four in the
area. We made our way down the shore of the St. Mary's River to check
for waterfowl and gulls. There were the usual Common Goldeneyes,
Mallards and Herring Gulls. After a while, we found something
different. A Long-tailed Duck landed in the water. Bob had seen one
the day before, so he was excited that we had managed to find it again.
We
made our way over to the St. Mary's Rapids, which were full of
goldeneyes. In total, we counted 388 of them, which greatly contributed
to the count total of 424, which was a record for the Sault Ste. Marie
Christmas Bird Count. Also in the rapids was the same Long-tailed Duck,
this time accompanied by another, pushing their total to two. On the
other side of the rapids sat a bunch of Mallards, American Black Ducks
and Herring Gulls. Using the spotting scope, Bob was able to find a
different gull, this one being a Great-black Backed Gull, a lifer for
me.
We continued down the path on Whitefish Island. I was
leading the group and as we turned a corner, there was a Northern Shrike
hanging out at the top of a tree. It stuck around long enough for
everyone to catch up and see it. We wrapped up our morning at Whitefish
Island without seeing much else of significance.
Our next stop
was at Station Mall to count the gulls, pigeons and Mallards that hang
out in the parking lot. One of the gulls was actually a Glaucous Gull,
which was another life for me. We continued on to check out some
visible bird feeders and got some more chickadees and some American
Goldfinches.
The last task of the day was to drive around
downtown and count all the Rock Pigeons and European Starlings that were
hanging around. The final count of pigeons for the day was 1218, which
led to another record for this count. By the end of the day, our group
at recorded 18 species for 2229 birds, which was by far the highest
total bird count for any of the groups. The day was followed by a
potluck dinner and a discussion about the day's results.
It was a
great birding experience and I'm definitely looking forward to doing it
again next year! Next up is the Desbarats Christmas Bird Count, a new
count that I have started, taking place on December 29, 2016.
JANUARY 17, 2017 UPDATE:
To see the full results from the Sault Ste. Marie Christmas Bird Count, click here.
JANUARY 18, 2017 UPDATE:
One
of the count's co-compilers, Don Hall, stepped down from his role,
which was putting all the data together at the end of the count and
submitting it. The Sault Naturalists were looking for someone to take
on this role. Due to my experience running a Christmas Bird Count and
computer skills, I was chosen and I'm really looking forward to helping
out later this year!
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