117th Christmas Bird Count Canada High Counts

Words by Liz Purves
Published November 15, 2017

During the 117th Christmas Bird Count (CBC) in Canada, counts reported 278 species, down 19 species from last year, and over 30 infraspecific forms. Eleven additional species were seen only during count week, including Pink-footed Goose, American White Pelican, Green Heron, Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Yellow-legged Gull, House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Nelson’s Sparrow, Western Tanager, and Eurasian Tree Sparrow. Two species were new to the all-time Canadian species list: Lesser Goldfinch (Merritt, BC) and Red-flanked Bluetail (Comox, BC). The Canadian species list now includes a total of 436 species.

Each of Canada’s ten provinces and three territories scored at least one species high count during the 117th CBC season. British Columbia had the most species high counts of all the Canadian regions (137), followed by Ontario (64) and Nova Scotia (20). Victoria, BC was the circle to achieve the most species high counts (33), followed by Ladner, BC (23) and Sidney-South Saltspring (11). Thirty-one of the high counts in the 117th CBC season are all-time Canadian highs (numbers boldfaced). High counts in italics are high counts not only for Canada, but all of North America. Exotics and hybrids are excluded from this list.

Greater White-fronted Goose 25 (BC, Duncan); Snow Goose 127,022 (QC, Baie-Missisquoi); Ross's Goose 1 (ON, Holiday Beach); Brant 2183 (BC, Ladner); Brant (Black) 9 (BC, Sooke); Cackling Goose 1641 (BC, Abbotsford-Mission); Cackling Goose (Richardson’s) 1 (NS, Baddeck); Canada Goose 15,952 (ON, Kingston); Mute Swan 215 (ON, Prince Edward Point); Trumpeter Swan 1180 (BC, Comox); Tundra Swan 673 (ON, Wallaceburg); Wood Duck 208 (BC, Victoria); Gadwall 418 (ON, Kingston); Eurasian Wigeon 64 (BC, Ladner); American Wigeon 33,655 (BC, Ladner); American Black Duck 1970 (QC, Tadoussac); Mallard 20,480 (BC, Ladner); Blue-winged Teal 1 (AB, Tofield; QC, Sorel-Tracy); Cinnamon Teal 4 (BC, White Rock); Northern Shoveler 609 (BC, Abbotsford-Mission); Northern Pintail 19,120 (BC, Ladner); Green-winged Teal 2838 (BC, Ladner); Green-winged Teal (American) 1028 (BC, Greater Masset); Canvasback 91 (BC, White Rock); Redhead  2125 (ON, Toronto); Ring-necked Duck 370 (BC, Vaseux Lake); Tufted Duck 69 (NL, St. Johns); Greater Scaup 7685 (ON, Blenheim); Lesser Scaup 892 (ON, Hamilton); King Eider 5 (ON, Peach Tree); Common Eider 2389 (NS, Louisbourg); Harlequin Duck 396 (BC, Deep Bay); Surf Scoter 3085 (BC, Comox); White-winged Scoter 2780 (ON, Peach Tree); Black Scoter 1087 (NS, Louisbourg); Long-tailed Duck 21,972 (ON, Peach Tree); Bufflehead 2207 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Common Goldeneye 4644 (BC, Tlell); Barrow's Goldeneye 873 (BC, Vancouver); Hooded Merganser 345 (BC, Victoria); Common Merganser 6603 (QC, Baie-Missisquoi); Red-breasted Merganser 1663 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Ruddy Duck 133 (ON, Blenheim); California Quail 1826 (BC, Penticton).

Northern Bobwhite 4 (QC, Neuville-Tilly); Chukar 164 (BC, Kamloops); Ring-necked Pheasant 353 (NB, Sackville); Gray Partridge 249 (SK, Regina); Ruffed Grouse 38 (ON, Algonquin P.P.); Greater Sage-Grouse 20 (AB, Manyberries); Spruce Grouse 9 (MB, Riding Mountain N.P.); Willow Ptarmigan 255 (NT, Yellowknife); Rock Ptarmigan 6 (NU, Arctic Bay); White-tailed Ptarmigan 1 (BC, Lardeau); Dusky Grouse 5 (BC, Penticton); Sooty Grouse 1 (BC, Whistler); Sharp-tailed Grouse 137 (MB, Hodgson); Wild Turkey 549 (ON, Rice Lake Plains); Red-throated Loon 145 (BC, Tlell); Pacific Loon 3716 (BC, Tlell); Common Loon 80 (BC, Deep Bay); Yellow-billed Loon 4 (BC, Hecate Strait); Pied-billed Grebe 89 (BC, Victoria); Horned Grebe 268 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Red-necked Grebe 236 (BC, Skidegate Inlet); Eared Grebe 3 (BC, White Rock); Western Grebe 770 (BC, Skidegate Inlet); Northern Gannet 150 (NS, Brier Island); Brandt's Cormorant 433 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Double-crested Cormorant 759 (BC, Pender Islands); Great Cormorant 126 (NS, Brier Island); Pelagic Cormorant 613 (BC, Rose Spit); American Bittern 2 (BC, Ladner); Great Blue Heron (Blue form) 264 (BC, Ladner); Black-crowned Night-Heron 6 (BC, Ladner).

Black Vulture 14 (ON, Niagara Falls); Turkey Vulture 46 (ON, Niagara Falls); Osprey 1 (BC, Pender Islands; ON, London); Golden Eagle 8 (AB, Nanton); Northern Harrier 124 (BC, Ladner); Sharp-shinned Hawk 17 (NS, Wolfville); Cooper's Hawk 74 (BC, Nanaimo); Northern Goshawk 6 (AB, Elk Island N.P.); Bald Eagle 1574 (BC, Ladner); Red-shouldered Hawk 5 (ON, Point Pelee); Red-tailed Hawk 191 (ON, Peach Tree); Red-tailed Hawk (Harlan's) 28 (BC, Vernon); Rough-legged Hawk 102 (BC, Linwood).

Virginia Rail 18 (BC, Ladner); Sora 1 (BC, Victoria; NB, Moncton); American Coot 1427 (BC, Victoria); Sandhill Crane 1370 (ON, Long Point); Black Oystercatcher 349 (BC, Skidegate Inlet); Black-bellied Plover 1647 (BC, Ladner); Killdeer 182 (BC, Victoria); Spotted Sandpiper 7 (BC, Nanaimo); Greater Yellowlegs 25 (BC, Ladner); Willet (Western) 1 (NS, Broad Cove); Marbled Godwit 1 (BC, White Rock); Ruddy Turnstone 1 (BC, Skidegate Inlet; NL, St. Johns); Black Turnstone 1063 (BC, Greater Masset); Red Knot 1 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Surfbird 320 (BC, Pender Islands); Sanderling 247 (BC, Greater Masset); Dunlin 47,733 (BC, Ladner); Rock Sandpiper 20 (BC, Skidegate Inlet); Purple Sandpiper 180 (QC, Tadoussac); Least Sandpiper 8 (BC, Greater Masset); White-rumped Sandpiper 1 (NB, Grand Manan Island); Western Sandpiper 20 (BC, Cortes Island); Long-billed Dowitcher 68 (BC, White Rock); Wilson's Snipe 36 (BC, Ladner); American Woodcock 5 (ON, Blenheim).

Pomarine Jaeger 1 (NS, Brier Island); Dovekie 4 (NS, Louisbourg); Common Murre 3228 (BC, Hecate Strait); Thick-billed Murre 5 (BC, Hecate Strait); Razorbill 102 (NS, Brier Island); Black Guillemot 144 (QC, Forillon N.P.); Black Guillemot (grylle Group) 11 (NB, Caraquet); Pigeon Guillemot 202 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Marbled Murrelet 73 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Ancient Murrelet 915 (BC, Victoria); Cassin's Auklet 1 (BC, Victoria); Rhinoceros Auklet 16 (BC, Victoria); Black-legged Kittiwake 287 (NS, Brier Island); Bonaparte's Gull 4119 (ON, Niagara Falls); Black-headed Gull 27 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth); Little Gull 1 (ON, Niagara Falls); Franklin’s Gull 1 (AB, Lethbridge); Mew Gull 2434 (BC, Victoria); Ring-billed Gull 1825 (ON, Toronto); Western Gull 6 (BC, Greater Masset); California Gull 559 (BC, Parksville-Qualicum Beach); Herring Gull 5223 (ON, Niagara Falls); Thayer's Gull 2543 (BC, Powell River); Iceland Gull 3630 (NL, St. Johns); Lesser Black-backed Gull 11 (NL, St. Johns); Glaucous-winged Gull 35,135 (BC, Ladner); Glaucous Gull 361 (NL, St. Johns); Great Black-backed Gull 2458 (QC, Longueuil).

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 4352 (MB, Winnipeg); Band-tailed Pigeon 4 (BC, Pender Islands); Eurasian Collared-Dove 476 (BC, Ladner); White-winged Dove 1 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth); Mourning Dove 1897 (ON, Port Hope-Cobourg); Barn Owl 23 (BC, Ladner); Western Screech-Owl 2 (BC, Victoria); Eastern Screech-Owl 48 (ON, Skunk's Misery); Great Horned Owl 26 (BC, Victoria); Snowy Owl 14 (ON, Linwood); Northern Hawk Owl 3 (AB, Opal, Slave Lake); Northern Pygmy-Owl 11 (AB, Cochrane Wildlife Reserve); Barred Owl 13 (BC, Victoria); Great Gray Owl 4 (AB, Cochrane Wildlife Reserve; MB, Riding Mountain N.P.); Long-eared Owl 5 (ON, Blenheim); Short-eared Owl 16 (BC, Ladner); Boreal Owl 1 (AB, Wabamun Lake; MB, Riding Mountain N.P.; YT, Dawson, Tagish); Northern Saw-whet Owl 4 (BC, Victoria); Anna's Hummingbird 563 (BC, Victoria); Belted Kingfisher 45 (BC, Victoria); Lewis's Woodpecker 3 (BC, Grand Forks); Red-headed Woodpecker 2 (ON, Kettle Point); Red-bellied Woodpecker 109 (ON, London); Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 4 (ON, Port Hope-Cobourg, Long Point); Red-breasted Sapsucker 124 (BC, Sunshine Coast); Downy Woodpecker 396 (AB, Edmonton); Hairy Woodpecker 132 (MB, Winnipeg); American Three-toed Woodpecker 10 (AB, Banff-Canmore); Black-backed Woodpecker 5 (AB, Lac La Biche; NT, Fort Simpson); Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 271 (BC, Penticton); Northern Flicker 661 (BC, Victoria); Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 43 (ON, Long Point); Pileated Woodpecker 57 (AB, Edmonton); American Kestrel 29 (ON, Peach Tree); Merlin 23 (AB, Edmonton); Merlin (Black) 1 (BC, Trail-Beaver Valley); Merlin (Taiga) 3 (QC, St.-Timothee); Gyrfalcon1 (AB, Spirit River, Wabamun Lake, High River, Edmonton; BC, Abbotsford-Mission, Kamloops, Pitt Meadows, Vanderhoof, White Rock; MB, Glenboro-Spruce Woods, Oak Hammock, Pinawa-Lac du Bonnet; ON, Sudbury); Peregrine Falcon 17 (BC, Ladner); Prairie Falcon 5 (AB, Nanton).

Eastern Phoebe 2 (ON, St. Clair N.W.A.); Northern Shrike 38 (QC,  Quebec); Hutton's Vireo 12 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Gray Jay 65 (ON, Eagle River); Steller's Jay 195 (BC, Chilliwack); Blue Jay 1256 (NS, Wolfville); Western Scrub-Jay 2 (BC, White Rock); Black-billed Magpie 2752 (AB, Edmonton); Clark's Nutcracker 64 (BC, Lake Country); American Crow 126,000 (ON, St. Clair N.W.A.); Northwestern Crow 13,301 (BC, Vancouver); Common Raven 3007 (YT, Whitehorse); Sky Lark 9 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Horned Lark 1923 (AB, Milk River); Black-capped Chickadee 4119 (AB, Edmonton); Mountain Chickadee 231 (BC, Vaseux Lake); Chestnut-backed Chickadee 1919 (BC, Victoria); Boreal Chickadee 108 (AB, Snake's Head); Tufted Titmouse 53 (ON, Kettle Point); Bushtit 1228 (BC, Victoria); Red-breasted Nuthatch 1245 (BC, Pender Harbour); White-breasted Nuthatch 384 (ON, Ottawa-Gatineau); Pygmy Nuthatch 227 (BC, Penticton); Brown Creeper 150 (BC, Victoria).

Rock Wren 1 (BC, Vernon, Ladner); Canyon Wren 9 (BC, Vaseux Lake); Pacific Wren 507 BC, Victoria); Winter Wren 19 (ON, Hamilton); Marsh Wren 42 (BC, Victoria); Carolina Wren 91 (ON, Hamilton); Bewick's Wren 326 (BC, Victoria); American Dipper 68 (AB, Crowsnest); Golden-crowned Kinglet 1226 (BC, Victoria); Ruby-crowned Kinglet 237 (BC, Victoria); Red-flanked Bluetail 1 (BC, Comox); Eastern Bluebird 108 (ON, St. Thomas); Western Bluebird 201 (BC, Penticton); Mountain Bluebird 1 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Townsend's Solitaire 24 (BC, Yalakom Valley); Swainson's Thrush 1 (BC, Lake Country); Hermit Thrush 76 (BC, Victoria); Wood Thrush 1 (ON, Ottawa-Gatineau); American Robin 8042 (ON, Sandbanks); Varied Thrush 658 (BC, Pitt Meadows); Gray Catbird 6 (ON, Long Point); Brown Thrasher 1 (MB, Balmoral; NB, Ile Lameque, Mactaquac; NS, Cape Sable Island; ON, Toronto, Wallaceburg, Peterborough); Northern Mockingbird 29 (ON, Peach Tree); European Starling 8298 (PE, Hillsborough); American Pipit 1327 (ON, Point Pelee); Bohemian Waxwing 19,448 (AB, Edmonton); Cedar Waxwing 6190 (ON, Sandbanks); Lapland Longspur 160 (ON, Skunk’s Misery); Smith’s Longspur 1 (ON, Long Point); Snow Bunting 3291 (ON, Linwood); Orange-crowned Warbler 2 (BC, Nanaimo); Orange-crowned Warbler (celata) 1 (NS, Brier Island); Common Yellowthroat 1 (NB, Grand Manan Island; ON, Blenheim); Palm Warbler 2 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth); Pine Warbler 4 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth); Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 7 (BC, Kelowna); Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 34 (NS, Cape Sable Island); Townsend's Warbler 2 (BC, Nanaimo, Sooke, Vancouver); Wilson's Warbler (pileolata) 1 (BC, Greater Masset); Yellow-breasted Chat 1 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth, Glace Bay).

American Tree Sparrow 1856 (ON, Long Point); Chipping Sparrow 9 (NS, Wolfville); Clay-colored Sparrow 1 (BC, Victoria; NS, Bedford-Sackville); Field Sparrow 6 (ON, Point Pelee); Lark Sparrow 1 (ON, Toronto); Fox Sparrow 591 (BC, Victoria); Fox Sparrow (Sooty) 1 (BC, Rose Spit); Fox Sparrow (Red) 10 (ON, Port Hope-Cobourg); Dark-eyed Junco 1969 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 2167 (ON, Long Point); Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 6256 (BC, Victoria); White-crowned Sparrow 685 (BC, Ladner); Golden-crowned Sparrow 1258 (BC, Victoria); Harris's Sparrow 4 (AB, Nanton); White-throated Sparrow 176 (ON, Long Point); Vesper Sparrow 1 (BC, Ashcroft-Cache Creek; ON, West Elgin; QC, Baie-Missisquoi); Savannah Sparrow 19 (BC, Victoria); Savannah Sparrow (Ipswich) 1 (NS, Bridgetown); Song Sparrow 1342 (BC, Vancouver); Lincoln's Sparrow 84 (BC, Victoria); Swamp Sparrow 56 (ON, St. Clair N.W.A.); Spotted Towhee 1501 (BC, Victoria); Eastern Towhee 4 (ON, Port Hope-Cobourg); Rustic Bunting 1 (BC, Port Clements); Northern Cardinal 753 (ON, London); Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1 (ON, Carleton Place, Richmond Hill).

Red-winged Blackbird 940 (BC, Vernon); Eastern Meadowlark 8 (ON, Cedar Creek); Western Meadowlark 55 (BC, Abbotsford-Mission); Yellow-headed Blackbird 2 (BC, Vernon, White Rock); Rusty Blackbird 289 (ON, Cedar Creek); Brewer's Blackbird 19,082 (BC, Ladner); Common Grackle 913 (ON, Blenheim); Brown-headed Cowbird 8777 (ON, Cedar Creek); Bullock's Oriole 1 (NS, The Sydneys); Baltimore Oriole 7 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth); Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch 65 (AB, Crowsnest); Pine Grosbeak 422 (MB, Pinawa-Lac du Bonnet); House Finch 1371 (AB, Edmonton); Purple Finch 382 (MB, Pinawa-Lac du Bonnet); Cassin's Finch 15 (BC, Creston Valley); Red Crossbill 409 (BC, Victoria); White-winged Crossbill 466 (ON, Algonquin P.P.); Common Redpoll 807 (AB, Opal); Hoary Redpoll 135 (NT, Nahanni Butte); Pine Siskin 1757 (BC, Nanaimo); Lesser Goldfinch 1 (BC, Merritt); American Goldfinch 1495 (NS, Wolfville); Evening Grosbeak 342 (QC, Chute-St-Phillipe); House Sparrow 5722 (AB, Calgary); Eurasian Tree Sparrow 1 (MB, Winnipeg; ON, Pike Bay).