London CBC4Kids 2016

Today was the Christmas Bird Count for Kids here in London. I volunteered as a group leader, and by 9:30 am, after the introduction, we broke up into our groups and went to our respectable areas along Springbank Park and Greenway Park.

As soon as we arrived we looked up in time to see a Common Loon flyover. Loons at this time of year in Middlesex is quite a good sighting. Ring-billed Gulls, Chickadees, and Goldfinches flew over here as well.

A little bit down the path we found the highlight of the entire bird count....a juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker! This bird is fairly rare at any time of year in the county, so this bird is very exciting. 2016 seems to be a good year for RHWO in Middlesex, as there was a presumed breeding pair in the Strathroy area. Maybe this bird is one of the fledglings!

This isn't a B&W filter...the lighting sucked!

I have labeled the area of the observation for anyone who wants to try to find the bird.

red x marks the spot

highlighted area is the spot of the RHWO

I saw it storing food of some kind, so maybe it will try to overwinter.

Other birds seen along the route included Cardinals, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Kinglets, Common Goldeneye, Canada Geese, and Juncos.

We met back an hour and half later to share our sightings. A bird that rivaled the RHWO was Sandhill Crane....28 of them flew over Greenway Park! Unlike some friends in counties such as Chatham-Kent or Lambton, who see dozens more of these birds, here in Middlesex it is hard enough to come about one or two cranes, let alone 28....flying over downtown!

Together we had a total of over 600 individuals, down from 1000+ the last two years, and 32 species, which is a new record on this count.

In a couple weeks I'll be down in Rondeau doing the CBC there. Hopefully I can get in some birding before then!

It's That Time of the Year Again...

The holidays are just around the corner, and that means family, food and, of course, birds. In a few weeks, thousands of birders and nature enthusiasts will be taking part in one of the oldest birding traditions in the world....the Christmas Bird Count (or CBC for short). The event was founded in 1900, and the idea was that instead of shooting the birds for sport on December 25th like many people did, they would observe and count them instead. 117 years later we are still doing it. Imagine...117 years. In that time frame the RMS Titanic sunk, WWI and WWII raged in Europe, Point Pelee opened it's gates, the Great Depression destroyed countries all over the world in the thirties, Canada has had 17 different Prime Ministers, and our friends down south have had 20 presidents. For over a century people have carried on the tradition, and it is up to us and future generations to continue.

Anyway, there are dozens of counts around southern Ontario. Here's a few from my area:

Bright Blue: London (my home count)  Date: December 17, 2016
Gray: Stratford  Date: TBA
White: West Elgin   Date: TBA
Maroon: Strathroy  Date: Possibly not running this season
Teal: St. Thomas  Date: TBA
Purple: Kettle Point  Date: December 17, 2016
Pink: Skunk's Misery (Newbury)  Date: TBA, however last year it was in early January.
Blue: Wallaceburg  Date: December 27 or 28, 2016
Lime Green: St. Clair NWA  Date: TBA
Red: Blenheim incl. Rondeau  Date: December 18, 2016

Essex County and area also hosts a few counts:

Yellow: Point Pelee  Date: TBA

Gold: Cedar Creek  Date: December 17, 2016

Black: Holiday Beach  Date: December 27, 2016

Green: North Shore  Date: TBA

Dark Blue: Lake Erie Islands  Date: TBA

You may have noticed quite a few dates are 'To Be Announced'. Since it is only early November, many coordinators may not have uploaded the dates to the site I used. You can click here to see when the 'TBA' counts are or to find a Canadian CBC circle in your area.

Another bird count around Christmas is the Christmas Bird Count for Kids (CBC4Kids). This event was founded in 2007, so it isn't quite as old as the regular CBC. There are three CBC4Kids in SW Ontario:

Bright Blue: London  Date: December 3, 2016

Red: Elgin  Date: TBA

Grey: Port Rowan  Date: December 3, 2016

I'll be volunteering as a group leader this year at the 3rd annual London CBC4Kids count (more info can be found here ), and if you are interested in leading a group as well, you can inquire with the count organizer. Find a CBC4Kids near you by clicking here.

By joining a CBC, you are helping researchers know where birds are and if they are increasing or declining in that area. While most counters will take to the road to find birds, you can help by just counting birds at your feeder and reporting your finds to your local coordinator. I hope to see you out there!

London is the 'Cardinal Capital of Canada'