Christmas Bird Count

122nd CBC Season Highest Tallies for Individuals in Canada

Words by Yousif Attia
Canada CBC Coordinator, Birds Canada
Published December 09, 2022

During the 122nd Christmas Bird Count (CBC) in Canada, counts reported 292 species, an increase of eight species compared to last season. Two additional species, American Bittern and Red Knot were recorded only during count week. The rarest species for the season was Brambling with one at Narcosli and a second at Revelstoke, BC. No new species were added to the all-time Canadian species list, which sits at 439 species.

Each of Canada’s ten provinces and Yukon Territory recorded at least one species high count during the 122nd CBC season. Counts in British Columbia recorded the most species high counts (133), followed by Ontario (83) and Nova Scotia (37). Ladner, BC was the circle to record the most species high counts (27), followed by Victoria, BC (19), and Flamborough, ON (11). Three of the high counts during the 122nd CBC season represent new all-time Canadian highs (numbers boldfaced). Forty-four high counts are high counts not only for Canada, but all of North America during the 122nd (numbers italicized). Unestablished exotics and hybrids are excluded from this list.

Snow Goose 47,482 (BC, Ladner); Ross’s Goose 1 (ON, St. Clair N.W.A.); Greater White-fronted Goose 31 (BC, Bamfield); Pink-footed Goose 1 (NL, St. Johns); Brant 1803 (BC, Ladner); Cackling Goose 4108 (BC, Chilliwack); Canada Goose 39,366 (AB, Lethbridge); Mute Swan 374 (ON, Presqu'ile P.P.); Trumpeter Swan 854 (BC, Parksville-Qualicum Beach); Tundra Swan 8489 (ON, Blenheim); Wood Duck 315 (BC, White Rock-Surrey-Langley); Blue-winged Teal 1 (NB, Saint John; NL, St. John’s; ON, Point Pelee); Northern Shoveler 564 (BC, Ladner); Gadwall 542 (ON, Long Point); Eurasian Wigeon 76 (BC, White Rock-Surrey-Langley); American Wigeon 12,223 (BC, Ladner); Mallard 17,251 (AB, Calgary); American Black Duck 2892 (QC, Tadoussac); Northern Pintail 3678 (BC, Ladner); Green-winged Teal (Eurasian) 2 (BC, Greater Masset; NL, St. John’s); Green-winged Teal (American) 1248 (BC, Abbotsford-Mission); Canvasback 11,326 (ON, Holiday Beach); Redhead 5037 (ON, Long Point); Ring-necked Duck 395 (ON, St. Clair N.W.A.); Tufted Duck 54 (NL, St. Johns); Greater Scaup 17,554 (ON, Point Pelee); Lesser Scaup 1932 (ON, Point Pelee); King Eider 1 (BC, Victoria; NS, Glace Bay, Halifax-Dartmouth, Louisbourg; ON, Niagara Falls, Sandbanks; QC, Perce); Common Eider 1508 (NL, Cape Race); Harlequin Duck 421 (BC, Deep Bay); Surf Scoter 1131 (BC, Comox); White-winged Scoter 1518 (ON, Point Pelee); Black Scoter 4502 (PE, East Point); Long-tailed Duck 8860 (ON, Hamilton); Bufflehead 1730 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Common Goldeneye 2395 (ON, Point Pelee); Barrow's Goldeneye 1811 (BC, Vancouver); Hooded Merganser 323 (BC, Victoria); Common Merganser 2531 (ON, Rideau Ferry); Red-breasted Merganser 6022 (ON, Cedar Creek); Ruddy Duck 298 (ON, Blenheim).

California Quail 2046 (BC, Penticton); Chukar 140 (BC, Oliver-Osoyoos); Gray Partridge 702 (SK, Regina); Ring-necked Pheasant 112 (NS, Wolfville); Ruffed Grouse 63 (ON, Algonquin P.P.); Spruce Grouse 6 (AB, Jarvie; NT, Yellowknife); Willow Ptarmigan 35 (NT, Yellowknife); Rock Ptarmigan 1 (NL, Bonne Bay); White-tailed Ptarmigan 1 (BC, Whistler); Dusky Grouse 2 (BC, Oliver-Osoyoos); Sooty Grouse 1 (BC, Galiano-North Saltspring); Sharp-tailed Grouse 160 (SK, Balgonie); Wild Turkey 755 (ON, Pakenham-Arnprior); Pied-billed Grebe 54 (BC, Victoria); Horned Grebe 395 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Red-necked Grebe 200 (NB, Saint Andrews); Eared Grebe 7 (BC, Galiano-North Saltspring); Western Grebe 444 (BC, Skidegate Inlet); Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 3607 (QC, Montreal); Band-tailed Pigeon 5 (BC, Abbotsford-Mission); Eurasian Collared-Dove 241 (AB, Lethbridge); Mourning Dove 1190 (ON, Flamborough); Anna's Hummingbird 864 (BC, Victoria); Rufous Hummingbird 2 (BC, Nanoose Bay); Virginia Rail 28 (BC, Ladner); Sora 1 (ON, St. Clair N.W.A.); Common Gallinule 1 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth); American Coot 2515 (BC, Kelowna); Sandhill Crane 5786 (ON, Long Point); Black Oystercatcher 189 (BC, Deep Bay); Black-bellied Plover 1149 (BC, Ladner); Semipalmated Plover 1 (NS, Cape Sable Island); Killdeer 137 (BC, Ladner); Marbled Godwit 1 (BC, White Rock-Surrey-Langley); Ruddy Turnstone 1 (NS, Cape Sable Island); Black Turnstone 344 (BC, Skidegate Inlet); Surfbird 60 (BC, Port Clements); Sanderling 665 (BC, Greater Masset); Dunlin 36,457 (BC, Ladner); Rock Sandpiper 1 (BC, Skidegate Inlet); Purple Sandpiper 204 (NL, Cape Race); Least Sandpiper 12 (BC, Ladner); Western Sandpiper 42 (BC, Ladner); Short-billed Dowitcher 1 (BC, Victoria); Long-billed Dowitcher 65 (BC, Ladner); American Woodcock 2 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth); Wilson's Snipe 28 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Spotted Sandpiper 4 (BC, Vancouver); Greater Yellowlegs 93 (BC, Ladner); Lesser Yellowlegs 1 (NS, Broad Cove).

Unidentified jaeger species 2 (NB, Cape Tormentine); Dovekie 32 (NL, Cape Race); Common Murre 311 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Thick-billed Murre 3 (NL, St. John’s); Razorbill 137 (NS, Cape Sable Island); Black Guillemot 63 (QC, Forillon N.P.); Pigeon Guillemot 277 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Marbled Murrelet 85 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Ancient Murrelet 332 (BC, Parksville-Qualicum Beach); Cassin’s Auklet 2 (BC, Bamfield); Parakeet Auklet 1 (BC, Hecate Strait); Rhinoceros Auklet 14 (BC, Sooke); Black-legged Kittiwake 7300 (NB, Brier Island); Sabine’s Gull 1 (NS, Sable Island); Bonaparte's Gull 7007 (ON, Niagara Falls); Black-headed Gull 9 (NS, Lunenburg); Little Gull 4 (ON, Niagara Falls); Heerman’s Gull 11 (BC, Pender Islands); Short-billed Gull 1263 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Ring-billed Gull 4572 (ON, West Elgin); Western Gull 7 (BC, Greater Masset); California Gull 147 (BC, Penticton); Herring Gull 7580 (ON, Niagara Falls); Iceland Gull 1231 (NL, St. John’s); Iceland Gull (Thayer’s) 506 (BC, Comox); Iceland Gull (kumlieni) 21 (NS, Brier Island); Lesser Black-backed Gull 28 (NS, Lepreau); Slaty-backed Gull 1 (BC, Tlell; ON, Toronto); Glaucous-winged Gull 17,084 (BC, Ladner); Glaucous Gull 65 (NL, St. John’s); Great Black-backed Gull 2736 (NS, Sable Island); Red-throated Loon 304 (ON, Blenheim); Pacific Loon 947 (BC, Nanaimo); Common Loon 129 (BC, Comox); Yellow-billed Loon 2 (BC, Hecate Strait); Northern Fulmar 2 (BC, Hecate Strait); Great Shearwater 1 (QC, Forillon N.P.); Short-tailed Shearwater 1 (BC, Hecate Strait); Northern Gannet 52 (NS, Brier Island); Brandt's Cormorant 743 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Double-crested Cormorant 416 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Great Cormorant 74 (NS, Brier Island); Pelagic Cormorant 603 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); American White Pelican 1 (AB, High River); Great Blue Heron 251 (BC, Ladner); Great Egret 1 (NS, Cape Sable Island); Green Heron 1 (QC, Montreal); Black-crowned Night-Heron 7 (ON, Toronto).

Black Vulture 5 (ON, Niagara Falls); Turkey Vulture 184 (ON, Dunnville); Golden Eagle 14 (BC, Oliver-Osoyoos); Northern Harrier 108 (BC, Ladner); Sharp-shinned Hawk 14 (BC, Penticton); Cooper's Hawk 32 (BC, Ladner); Northern Goshawk 6 (AB, Calgary); Bald Eagle 2174 (BC, Ladner); Red-shouldered Hawk 5 (ON, Port Burwell-Vienna); Broad-winged Hawk 2 (NS, St. Peters); Red-tailed Hawk 132 (ON, Flamborough); Red-tailed Hawk (Harlan’s) 2 (BC, Kelowna); Rough-legged Hawk 72 (ON, Linwood); Barn Owl 12 (BC, Ladner); Western Screech-Owl 2 (BC, Chilliwack, Duncan, Victoria); Eastern Screech-Owl 36 (ON, Cambridge); Great Horned Owl 15 (BC, Nanaimo); Snowy Owl 23 (ON, St. Clair N.W.A.); Northern Hawk Owl 2 (AB, Slave Lake; BC, Smithers); Northern Pygmy-Owl 6 (BC, Williams Lake); Barred Owl 13 (BC, Victoria); Great Gray Owl 3 (SK, Love); Long-eared Owl 5 (ON, Amherst Island); Short-eared Owl 19 (ON, Amherst Island); Boreal Owl 1 (AB, Edmonton; BC, Lillooet; QC, Québec; SK, Rosetown; YT, Mayo); Northern Saw-whet Owl 4 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth; QC, Longueuil).

Belted Kingfisher 49 (BC, Galiano-North Saltspring); Red-headed Woodpecker 3 (ON, Dunrobin-Breckenridge); Red-bellied Woodpecker 158 (ON, Flamborough); Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 9 (QC, Longueuil); Red-breasted Sapsucker 34 (BC, Sooke); American Three-toed Woodpecker 21 (AB, Grande Prairie); Black-backed Woodpecker 8 (ON, Algonquin P.P.); Downy Woodpecker 438 (AB, Edmonton); Hairy Woodpecker 195 (ON, Flamborough); Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 370 (BC, Penticton); Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 63 (NL, St. John’s); Pileated Woodpecker 59 (ON, Ottawa-Gatineau); American Kestrel 36 (ON, Fisherville); Merlin 24 (AB, Calgary); Gyrfalcon 1 (AB, Beaverlodge, Calgary, Horseshoe Canyon; BC, Abbotsford-Mission, Pitt Meadows; MB, Hodgson; QC, Hudson, Otterburn Park); Peregrine Falcon 20 (BC, Ladner); Prairie Falcon 2 (AB, High River).

Eastern Phoebe 1 (NB, Salisbury; NS, Cape Sable Island, Wolfville; ON, Halton Hills); Northern Shrike 27 (ON, Flamborough); White-eyed Vireo 1 (ON, Sandbanks); Hutton's Vireo 5 (BC, Galiano-North Saltspring); Blue-headed Vireo 2 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth); Canada Jay 70 (ON, Eagle River); Steller's Jay 199 (BC, Comox); Blue Jay 1089 (ON, Flamborough); Black-billed Magpie 2529 (AB, Calgary); Clark's Nutcracker 106 (AB, Banff-Canmore); American Crow 40,177 (ON, St. Clair N.W.A.); Common Raven 3300 (YT, Whitehorse); Horned Lark 1642 (AB, Milk River); Black-capped Chickadee 3082 (AB, Edmonton); Mountain Chickadee 332 (AB, Banff-Canmore); Chestnut-backed Chickadee 1532 (BC, Victoria); Boreal Chickadee 63 (YT, Haines Junction); Tufted Titmouse 31 (QC, Otterburn Park); Barn Swallow 1 (BC, Pender Islands); Bushtit 676 (BC, Victoria); Red-breasted Nuthatch 358 (AB, Edmonton); White-breasted Nuthatch 532 (MB, Winnipeg); Pygmy Nuthatch 146 (BC, Penticton); Brown Creeper 148 (BC, Victoria); Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2 (ON, Peel-Halton Counties).

Canyon Wren 8 (BC, Oliver-Osoyoos); House Wren 1 (NS, Yarmouth; ON, Blenheim, Cedar Creek, Port Burwell-Vienna); Pacific Wren 241 (BC, Victoria); Winter Wren 22 (ON, Hamilton); Marsh Wren 63 (BC, Ladner); Carolina Wren 124 (ON, Hamilton); Bewick's Wren 201 (BC, Victoria); American Dipper 30 (BC, Lillooet); Golden-crowned Kinglet 727 (BC, Nanaimo); Ruby-crowned Kinglet 213 (BC, Victoria); Eastern Bluebird 152 (ON, Flamborough); Western Bluebird 255 (BC, Oliver-Osoyoos); Mountain Bluebird 2 (BC, Prince George); Townsend's Solitaire 83 (BC, Williams Lake); Swainson’s Thrush 1 (QC, Québec); Hermit Thrush 34 (BC, Sooke); American Robin 4379 (BC, Duncan); Varied Thrush 336 (BC, Sooke); Gray Catbird 6 (ON, Long Point); Brown Thrasher 1 (ON, Gananoque; QC, Brome Lake); Northern Mockingbird 21 (ON, St. Catharines ,Toronto); European Starling 42,271 (ON, Niagara Falls); Bohemian Waxwing 15,676 (AB, Calgary); Cedar Waxwing 376 4 (PE, Prince Edward Point); House Sparrow 7394 (AB, Calgary); American Pipit 203 (BC, Ladner); Brambling 1 (BC, Narcosli, Revelstoke); Evening Grosbeak 515 (QC, Chicoutimi-Jonquiere); Pine Grosbeak 662 (MB, Pinawa-Lac du Bonnet); Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch 175 (BC, Lillooet); House Finch 2015 (AB, Calgary); Purple Finch 258 (NS, Economy); Cassin's Finch 10 (BC, Lillooet); Common Redpoll 3137 (AB, Fort Saskatchewan); Hoary Redpoll 50 (SK, Eastend); Red Crossbill 322 (BC, Kimberley); White-winged Crossbill 1540 (ON, Algonquin P.P.); Pine Siskin 2574 (BC, Sooke); Lesser Goldfinch 1 (BC, Oliver-Osoyoos, Penticton, Revelstoke); American Goldfinch 2367 (ON, Flamborough).

Lapland Longspur 27 (ON, Blenheim); Snow Bunting 5000 (AB, Manyberries); Chipping Sparrow 5 (ON, Blenheim); Clay-colored Sparrow 1 (NS, Wolfville); Field Sparrow 12 (ON, Port Burwell-Vienna); Lark Sparrow 1 (BC, Williams Lake; NL, St. John’s; NS, Halifax-Dartmouth; QC, Perce); American Tree Sparrow 900 (ON, Flamborough); Fox Sparrow 803 (BC, Victoria); Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 1791 (ON, Skunk's Misery); Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 5024 (BC, Victoria); White-throated Sparrow 259 (ON, Long Point); Harris's Sparrow 8 (BC, Creston Valley); White-crowned Sparrow 675 (BC, Ladner); Golden-crowned Sparrow 1771 (BC, Victoria); Vesper Sparrow 1 (ON, Cambridge, Sandbanks, Woodhouse Township); Nelson’s Sparrow 1 (ON, Blenheim); Savannah Sparrow 12 (ON, Blenheim); Savannah Sparrow (Ipswich) 45 (NS, Sable Island); Song Sparrow 1363 (BC, Vancouver); Lincoln's Sparrow 29 (BC, Ladner); Swamp Sparrow 162 (ON, Blenheim); Spotted Towhee 808 (BC, Victoria); Eastern Towhee 6 (ON, St. Thomas).

Yellow-breasted Chat 4 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth); Yellow-headed Blackbird 1 (NS, Shubenacadie; ON, Wallaceburg); Eastern Meadowlark 5 (ON, Woodhouse Township); Western Meadowlark 74 (BC, Abbotsford-Mission); Baltimore Oriole 3 (NB, Saint John; NS, Halifax-Dartmouth); Red-winged Blackbird 1298 (BC, Ladner); Brown-headed Cowbird 937 (ON, St. Clair N.W.A.); Rusty Blackbird 16 (ON, Dunnville); Brewer's Blackbird 769 (BC, Parksville-Qualicum Beach); Common Grackle 1000 (ON, Point Pelee); Ovenbird 1 (NS, Wolfville); Northern Waterthrush 1 (BC, Ladner); Tennessee Warbler 1 (BC, Victoria); Orange-crowned Warbler 5 (BC, Ladner); Nashville Warbler 1 (ON, Cambridge); Common Yellowthroat 2 (ON, Flamborough); Cape May Warbler 2 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth); Northern Parula 1 (NL, St. John’s); Palm Warbler 1 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth, Lunenburg, St. Peters); Pine Warbler 7 (NS, Lunenburg); Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 81 (NS, Cape Sable Island); Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 3 (BC, Parksville-Qualicum Beach); Yellow-throated Warbler 1 (NB, Jemseg-Gagetown); Townsend's Warbler 5 (BC, Sooke, Victoria); Wilson's Warbler 1 (BC, Ladysmith); Summer Tanager 1 (NS, Pictou Harbour; ON, Woodhouse Township); Scarlet Tanager 1 (NS, Wolfville); Western Tanager 1 (NB, Moncton); Northern Cardinal 688 (ON, Flamborough); Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2 (NS, West Hants); Indigo Bunting 1 (ON, Kincardine); Dickcissel 1 (NL, Bonne Bay; NS, Lunenburg, The Sydneys).