116th Christmas Bird Count Canada High Counts

Words by Mike Burrell
CBC Regional Editor, Ontario
Published November 21, 2016

Canadian counts reported 297 species on the 116th Christmas Bird Count, down eight from the record-setting year last year. Six additional species (Barnacle Goose, Pomarine Jaeger, Rock Wren, Vesper Sparrow, Scarlet Tanager, and Yellow-headed Blackbird) were seen only during count week. Three species (boldfaced below) are new to the cumulative Canadian Christmas count list: Vermilion Flycatcher (Wallaceburg, ON), Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Cedar Creek, ON) and Siberian Accentor (White Rock, BC). The Canadian list now stands at 434.

British Columbia led the high count tally with 147 species, followed by Ontario with 93, and Nova Scotia with 44. Victoria, BC had the highest number for a single count with 31, followed by White Rock, BC (20), Vancouver, BC (13), Edmonton, AB (8), and Briar Island, NS (8). Thirty-two of the high counts are all-time Canadian highs (numbers boldfaced below; same number as last year). Species in italics indicate those totals (62 species and forms) that are high counts for North American as well as Canada (same number as last year). Exotic species and hybrids are not included in this list.

Greater White-fronted Goose 34 (BC, Victoria); Snow Goose 40,000 (QC, St-Jean-sur-le-Richelieu); Ross's Goose 1 (ON, Niagara Falls, St. Clair N.W.A.; QC, St.-Timothee; SK, Coronach ); Brant 434 (BC, White Rock); Cackling Goose 883 (BC, Victoria); Canada Goose 36,442 (ON, Kingston); Mute Swan 472 (ON, Holiday Beach); Trumpeter Swan 1036 (BC, Duncan); Tundra Swan 10,870 (ON, St. Clair N.W.A.); Wood Duck 238 (BC, White Rock); Gadwall 778 (ON, Blenheim); Eurasian Wigeon 47 (BC, White Rock); American Wigeon 9950 (BC, White Rock); American Black Duck 1645 (ON, St. Clair N.W.A.); Mallard 20,802 (ON, St. Clair N.W.A.); Blue-winged Teal 1 (QC, Sorel-Tracy); Cinnamon Teal 8 (BC, Deep Bay); Northern Shoveler 250 (BC, Duncan); Northern Pintail 5206 (BC, White Rock); Green-winged Teal (American) 1441 (BC, White Rock); Green-winged Teal (Eurasian) 2 (BC, Greater Masset; NL, St. Johns); Canvasback 5182 (ON, Long Point); Redhead 25,825 (ON, Long Point); Ring-necked Duck 533 (BC, Duncan); Tufted Duck 49 (NL, St. Johns); Greater Scaup 13,712 (ON, Point Pelee); Lesser Scaup 5002 (ON, Point Pelee); King Eider 7 (ON, Peach Tree); Common Eider 3008 (PE, East Point); Harlequin Duck 434 (BC, Deep Bay); Surf Scoter 3775 (BC, Vancouver); White-winged Scoter 8721 (ON, Peach Tree); Black Scoter 333 (BC, Parksville-Qualicum Beach); Long-tailed Duck 9345 (ON, Peach Tree); Bufflehead 3487 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Common Goldeneye 9192 (ON, Point Pelee); Barrow's Goldeneye 1531 (BC, Vancouver); Hooded Merganser 355 (BC, Victoria); Common Merganser 3125 (ON, Rideau Ferry); Red-breasted Merganser 4750 (ON, Point Pelee); Ruddy Duck 873 (BC, White Rock); California Quail 2700 (BC, Penticton).

 

Chukar 255 (BC, Oliver-Osoyoos); Ring-necked Pheasant 144 (NS, Wolfville); Gray Partridge 143 (MB, Morden); Ruffed Grouse 45 (ON, Algonquin P.P.); Greater Sage-Grouse 13 (AB, Manyberries); Spruce Grouse 20 (NT, Hay River); Willow Ptarmigan 78 (NT, Yellowknife); White-tailed Ptarmigan 2 (BC, Lardeau); Dusky Grouse 1 (BC, Hat Creek, Lake Country); Sooty Grouse 1 (BC, Galiano-North Saltspring, Pender Harbour, Victoria, Whistler); Sharp-tailed Grouse 207 (AB, Milk River); Wild Turkey 473 (ON, Kawartha); Red-throated Loon 60 (BC, Vancouver); Pacific Loon 2712 (BC, Rose Spit); Common Loon 144 (BC, Deep Bay); Yellow-billed Loon 7 (BC, Hecate Strait); Pied-billed Grebe 98 (BC, Duncan); Horned Grebe 272 (BC, Parksville-Qualicum Beach); Red-necked Grebe 313 (BC, Parksville-Qualicum Beach); Eared Grebe 8 (BC, White Rock); Western Grebe 559 (BC, Bamfield); Northern Fulmar 25 (NS, Brier Island); Great Shearwater 15 (NS, Brier Island); Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel 1 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Northern Gannet 204 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth); Brandt's Cormorant 456 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Double-crested Cormorant 1007 (BC, Vancouver); Great Cormorant 102 (NS, Brier Island); Pelagic Cormorant 725 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); American White Pelican 3 (MB, Oak Hammock Marsh); American Bittern 1 (NS, Tatamagouche); Great Blue Heron (Blue form) 217 (BC, Vancouver); Great Egret 1 (ON, St. Clair N.W.A.); Green Heron 2 (BC, Chilliwack); Black-crowned Night-Heron 1 (ON, Peel-Halton Counties).

 

Black Vulture 4 (ON, Niagara Falls); Turkey Vulture 102 (ON, West Elgin); Osprey 1 (NS, Wolfville; ON, Rideau Ferry, London); Golden Eagle 9 (BC, Oliver-Osoyoos); Northern Harrier 44 (ON, Long Point); Sharp-shinned Hawk 15 (BC, Victoria); Cooper's Hawk 59 (BC, Victoria); Northern Goshawk 5 (AB, Edmonton); Bald Eagle 669 (BC, Squamish); Red-shouldered Hawk 2 (ON, Holiday Beach, Long Point, West Elgin); Broad-winged Hawk 1 (NS, Glace Bay, Tatamagouche); Red-tailed Hawk 139 (ON, Hamilton); Red-tailed Hawk (Harlan's) 1 (AB, Lethbridge; BC, Armstrong-Enderby, Kelowna); Rough-legged Hawk 55 (BC, Creston Valley).

 

Virginia Rail 16 (BC, Vancouver); Sora 1 (AB, Banff-Canmore); American Coot 4401 (ON, Blenheim); Sandhill Crane 660 (ON, Long Point); Black Oystercatcher 178 (BC, Deep Bay); Black-bellied Plover 500 (BC, Vancouver); Pacific Golden-Plover 1 (BC, Skidegate Inlet); Killdeer 119 (BC, White Rock); Spotted Sandpiper 3 (BC, Bamfield, Vancouver); Greater Yellowlegs 93 (BC, White Rock); Long-billed Curlew 1 (BC, White Rock); Marbled Godwit 1 (BC, White Rock); Ruddy Turnstone 1 (BC, Skidegate Inlet; NL, St. Johns); Black Turnstone 463 (BC, Skidegate Inlet); Red Knot 1 (NS, The Sydneys); Surfbird 90 (BC, Bamfield); Ruff 1 (NS, West Hants); Sanderling 394 (BC, Rose Spit); Dunlin 13,293 (BC, White Rock); Rock Sandpiper 37 (BC, Skidegate Inlet); Purple Sandpiper 31 (NS, Brier Island); Least Sandpiper 1 (BC, White Rock); Western Sandpiper 2 (BC, White Rock); Long-billed Dowitcher 48 (BC, Vancouver); Wilson's Snipe 21 (BC, Campbell River); American Woodcock 2 (ON, Sandbanks).

 

Parasitic Jaeger 1 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth); Dovekie 202 (NS, Brier Island); Common Murre 4064 (BC, Skidegate Inlet); Thick-billed Murre 10 (NS, Louisbourg); Razorbill 853 (NB, Grand Manan Island); Black Guillemot 61 (NL, St. Johns); Pigeon Guillemot 154 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Marbled Murrelet 135 (BC, Pender Harbour); Ancient Murrelet 94 (BC, Little River-Powell River Ferry); Cassin's Auklet 2 (BC, Rose Spit); Rhinoceros Auklet 6 (BC, Victoria); Atlantic Puffin 15 (NS, Brier Island); Black-legged Kittiwake 266 (BC, Rose Spit); Bonaparte's Gull 4216 (ON, Niagara Falls); Black-headed Gull 11 (NS, Antigonish); Little Gull 3 (ON, Barrie); Laughing Gull 1 (NS, Brier Island); Mew Gull 2165 (BC, Pender Islands); Ring-billed Gull 21,467 (ON, West Elgin); Western Gull 9 (BC, Pender Islands); California Gull 345 (BC, Penticton); Herring Gull 6543 (NS, Wolfville); Thayer's Gull 1367 (BC, Deep Bay); Iceland Gull 2324 (NL, St. Johns); Lesser Black-backed Gull 10 (NL, St. Johns); Glaucous-winged Gull 8984 (BC, Vancouver); Glaucous Gull 384 (NL, St. Johns); Great Black-backed Gull 3714 (QC, Sorel-Tracy).

 

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 4933 (BC, Vancouver); Band-tailed Pigeon 16 (BC, Pender Islands); Eurasian Collared-Dove 308 (BC, Vernon); Mourning Dove 863 (ON, Oshawa); Barn Owl 7 (BC, White Rock); Western Screech-Owl 2 (BC, Kelowna, Victoria); Eastern Screech-Owl 38 (ON, Woodhouse Township); Great Horned Owl 23 (BC, Victoria); Snowy Owl 20 (ON, Amherst Island, Kingston); Northern Hawk Owl 2 (AB, Wabamun Lake; BC, Bridge Lake); Northern Pygmy-Owl 9 (BC, Lillooet); Barred Owl 13 (BC, Victoria); Great Gray Owl 3 (AB, Cochrane Wildlife Reserve; BC, Savona-Walhachin); Long-eared Owl 8 (ON, Fisherville); Short-eared Owl 7 (AB, Fort Saskatchewan); Boreal Owl 1 (AB, Strathcona, Edmonton; BC, McBride); Northern Saw-whet Owl 7 (AB, Edmonton); Anna's Hummingbird 861 (BC, Victoria); Rufous Hummingbird 1 (BC, Creston Valley, Powell River); Belted Kingfisher 57 (BC, Pender Islands); Red-headed Woodpecker 2 (ON, Brantford, Kettle Point, Wye Marsh); Red-bellied Woodpecker 84 (ON, Hamilton); Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 (AB, Brule; ON, Blenheim, La Forest Larose, Niagara Falls); Red-breasted Sapsucker 29 (BC, Duncan); Downy Woodpecker 568 (AB, Edmonton); Hairy Woodpecker 213 (MB, Winnipeg); American Three-toed Woodpecker 15 (AB, Sheep River); Black-backed Woodpecker 13 (ON, Algonquin P.P.); Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 527 (BC, Victoria); Northern Flicker 208 (AB, Calgary); Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 26 (NS, Lunenburg); Pileated Woodpecker 58 (ON, Ottawa-Gatineau); American Kestrel 23 (BC, Vernon); Merlin 43 (AB, Calgary); Gyrfalcon 2 (AB, Beaverlodge, High River); Peregrine Falcon 16 (BC, Victoria); Prairie Falcon 3 (AB, Milk River).

 

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 1 (ON, Cedar Creek); Eastern Phoebe 1 (ON, Cedar Creek); Vermilion Flycatcher 1 (ON, Wallaceburg); Western Kingbird 1 (NS, Brier Island); Northern Shrike 12 (AB, Sheep River); White-eyed Vireo 1 (ON, Pike Bay); Blue-headed Vireo 2 (ON, Peel-Halton Counties); Hutton's Vireo 10 (BC, Galiano-North Saltspring); Gray Jay 79 (ON, Eagle River); Steller's Jay 505 (BC, Victoria); Blue Jay 602 (AB, Edmonton); Black-billed Magpie 2924 (AB, Calgary); Clark's Nutcracker 104 (AB, Crowsnest); American Crow 125,000 (ON, St. Clair N.W.A.); Northwestern Crow 13,852 (BC, Vancouver); Common Raven 2795 (YT, Whitehorse); Sky Lark 5 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Horned Lark 4289 (AB, Milk River); Black-capped Chickadee 5059 (AB, Edmonton); Mountain Chickadee 385 (AB, Banff-Canmore); Chestnut-backed Chickadee 2033 (BC, Victoria); Boreal Chickadee 105 (AB, Banff-Canmore); Tufted Titmouse 70 (ON, Kettle Point); Bushtit 1110 (BC, Victoria); Red-breasted Nuthatch 947 (ON, Algonquin P.P.); White-breasted Nuthatch 569 (MB, Winnipeg); Pygmy Nuthatch 255 (BC, Lake Country); Brown Creeper 129 (BC, Victoria).

 

Canyon Wren 8 (BC, Vaseux Lake); House Wren 1 (ON, Hamilton); Pacific Wren 406 (BC, Victoria); Winter Wren 16 (ON, Hamilton); Marsh Wren 39 (BC, Victoria); Carolina Wren 64 (ON, Hamilton); Bewick's Wren 298 (BC, Victoria); American Dipper 55 (AB, Crowsnest); Golden-crowned Kinglet 1557 (BC, Victoria); Ruby-crowned Kinglet 291 (BC, Victoria); Eastern Bluebird 88 (ON, St. Catharines); Western Bluebird 165 (BC, Penticton); Mountain Bluebird 2 (NS, Cape Sable Island); Townsend's Solitaire 167 (BC, Vernon); Swainson's Thrush 1 (ON, Ottawa-Gatineau); Hermit Thrush 16 (BC, Victoria); Wood Thrush 1 (ON, Ottawa-Gatineau); Redwing 1 (BC, Victoria); American Robin 2591 (ON, Peel-Halton Counties); Varied Thrush 666 (BC, Pitt Meadows); Gray Catbird 2 (ON, Toronto); Brown Thrasher 1 (AB, Calgary; ON, Mindemoya, Parry Sound, Timmins); Northern Mockingbird 28 (ON, St. Catharines); European Starling 12,461 (BC, Kelowna); Siberian Accentor 1 (BC, White Rock); American Pipit 34 (BC, White Rock); Bohemian Waxwing 19,281 (AB, Calgary); Cedar Waxwing 417 (ON, Uxbridge); Lapland Longspur 225 (SK, Balgonie); Snow Bunting 6116 (ON, Skunk's Misery); Orange-crowned Warbler 5 (NS, Cape Sable Island); Nashville Warbler 1 (ON, Cape Croker); Common Yellowthroat 2 (NS, Amherst; ON, Blenheim); Hooded Warbler 1 (QC, Longueuil); Cape May Warbler 1 (ON, Ottawa-Gatineau); Northern Parula 1 (QC, Quebec); Palm Warbler 1 (BC, Skidegate Inlet; NS, Sheet Harbour; ON, Peel-Halton Counties); Pine Warbler 3 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth, Lunenburg, The Sydneys); Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 6 (BC, Victoria); Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 45 (NS, Lunenburg); Prairie Warbler 1 (NS, Bedford-Sackville); Black-throated Gray Warbler 1 (ON, Pembroke); Townsend's Warbler 2 (BC, Victoria); Wilson's Warbler 1 (BC, Chilliwack, Penticton; NS, Halifax-Dartmouth, Wolfville); Yellow-breasted Chat 3 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth).

 

American Tree Sparrow 1010 (ON, Long Point); Chipping Sparrow 10 (NS, Wolfville); Clay-colored Sparrow 1 (NS, Cheticamp); Field Sparrow 6 (ON, Port Burwell-Vienna); Lark Sparrow 1 (NB, Memramcook-Hillsborough; NS, Cape Sable Island); Fox Sparrow 718 (BC, Victoria); Fox Sparrow (Red) 1 (ON, Bradford-West Gwillimbury, Presqu’ile P.P.); Dark-eyed Junco 3651 (BC, Victoria); Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 1186 (ON, Rice Lake Plains); Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 1837 (BC, Galiano-North Saltspring); White-crowned Sparrow 448 (BC, White Rock); Golden-crowned Sparrow 1572 (BC, Victoria); Harris's Sparrow 2 (MB, Glenboro-Spruce Woods; SK, Fort Qu’Appelle); White-throated Sparrow 98 (NS, Cape Sable Island); Savannah Sparrow 19 (BC, Chilliwack); Song Sparrow 1411 (BC, Vancouver); Lincoln's Sparrow 54 (BC, Victoria); Swamp Sparrow 45 (ON, Long Point); Spotted Towhee 1180 (BC, Victoria); Eastern Towhee 3 (ON, Oshawa); Summer Tanager 1 (QC, Quebec); Northern Cardinal 565 (ON, London); Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1 (NS, Broad Cove; ON, Wiarton); Indigo Bunting 1 (NB, Grand Manan Island); Dickcissel 1 (NS, Kingston).

 

Red-winged Blackbird 2564 (BC, Kelowna); Western Meadowlark 46 (BC, White Rock); Yellow-headed Blackbird 5 (MB, Delta Marsh); Rusty Blackbird 18 (ON, St. Clair N.W.A.); Brewer's Blackbird 561 (BC, Parksville-Qualicum Beach); Common Grackle 38 (NS, Annapolis Royal); Brown-headed Cowbird 2338 (ON, St. Catharines); Bullock's Oriole 1 (NS, The Sydneys; ON, Pakenham-Arnprior); Baltimore Oriole 4 (NS, Yarmouth); Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch 43 (BC, Pemberton-Mt. Currie); Pine Grosbeak 760 (BC, Smithers); House Finch 1159 (AB, Edmonton); Purple Finch 238 (QC, Beauce Sud); Cassin's Finch 173 (BC, Penticton); Red Crossbill 741 (AB, Edmonton); White-winged Crossbill 4448 (AB, Calgary); Common Redpoll 3017 (BC, Prince George); Hoary Redpoll 76 (AB, Fort McMurray); Pine Siskin 1930 (BC, Parksville-Qualicum Beach); American Goldfinch 1429 (NS, Kingston); Evening Grosbeak 345 (MB, Pinawa-Lac du Bonnet); House Sparrow 6368 (AB, Calgary); Eurasian Tree Sparrow 1 (MB, Winnipeg; ON, Pike Bay).