123rd Christmas Bird Count High Counts of Species in Canada

December 14, 2022 to January 5, 2023
Words by Yousif Attia
Canada CBC Coordinator, Birds Canada
Published December 01, 2023

During the 123rd Christmas Bird Count (CBC) in Canada, counts reported 279 species, a decrease of 13 species compared to last season, which was exceptionally diverse. Four additional species: White-eyed Vireo, Swainson’s Thrush, Lesser Goldfinch, and Cape May Warbler were only recorded during Count Week (three days prior to, and three days after a designated Count Day).

Each of Canada’s ten provinces and three territories recorded at least one species high count during the 123rd CBC season. Circles in British Columbia recorded the most species high counts (133), followed by Ontario (71) and Nova Scotia (39). Victoria, BC, was the circle to record the most species high counts (40), followed by Ladner, BC (16), and Halifax-Dartmouth, NS (11). Three of the high counts during the 123rd CBC season represent new all-time Canadian highs (numbers boldfaced). Fifty-two high counts are high counts not only for Canada, but all North America during the 123rd (record underlined). Unestablished exotics and hybrids are excluded from this list.

Snow Goose 19,521 (QC, St.-Timothee); Ross’s Goose 1 (ON, Port Hope-Cobourg; QC, Otterburn Park, St-Jean-sur-le-Richelieu); Greater White-fronted Goose 4 (BC, Victoria); Pink-footed Goose 1 (NL, St. Johns); Brant 645 (BC, White Rock-Surrey-Langley); Cackling Goose 6033 (BC, Chilliwack); Canada Goose 20,481 (ON, Otterburn Park); Mute Swan 631 (ON, Gananoque); Trumpeter Swan 678 (BC, Duncan); Tundra Swan 4859 (ON, Blenheim); Wood Duck 309 (BC, White Rock-Surrey-Langley); Blue-winged Teal 1 (ON, Owen Sound); Northern Shoveler 327 (BC, Abbotsford-Mission); Gadwall 762 (ON, Blenheim); Eurasian Wigeon 62 (BC, White Rock-Surrey-Langley); American Wigeon 35,308 (BC, Ladner); Mallard 12,847 (ON, St. Clair N.W.A.); American Black Duck 2490 (QC, Tadoussac); Northern Pintail 13,308 (BC, Ladner); Green-winged Teal (Eurasian) 4 (NL, St. John’s); Green-winged Teal (American) 6629 (BC, Ladner); Canvasback 1680 (ON, Blenheim); Redhead 12,012 (ON, Blenheim); Ring-necked Duck 1001 (BC, Duncan); Tufted Duck 64 (NL, St. John’s); Greater Scaup 7516 (ON, Point Pelee); Lesser Scaup 754 (ON, Point Pelee); King Eider 2 (QC, Quebec); Common Eider 2057 (QC, Perce); Harlequin Duck 466 (BC, Deep Bay); Surf Scoter 4174 (BC, Lower Howe Sound); White-winged Scoter 2195 (BC, White Rock-Surrey-Langley); Black Scoter 2056 (PE, East Point); Long-tailed Duck 5317 (ON, Hamilton); Bufflehead 1883 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Common Goldeneye 5561 (ON, Point Pelee); Barrow's Goldeneye 1281 (BC, Vancouver); Hooded Merganser 391 (BC, Victoria); Common Merganser 3600 (ON, Point Pelee); Red-breasted Merganser 7840 (ON, Cedar Creek); Ruddy Duck 3606 (ON, Blenheim).

California Quail 994 (BC, Penticton); Chukar 167 (BC, Oliver-Osoyoos); Gray Partridge 1585 (SK, Morse); Ring-necked Pheasant 312 (SK, Estevan); Ruffed Grouse 40 (AB, Red Deer River); Spruce Grouse 13 (NT, Fort Smith); Willow Ptarmigan 109 (NT, Yellowknife); Rock Ptarmigan 11 (NU, Arctic Bay); White-tailed Ptarmigan 1 (BC, Smithers, Whistler); Dusky Grouse 1 (BC, Oliver-Osoyoos); Sooty Grouse 1 (BC, Greater Masset); Sharp-tailed Grouse 185 (MB, Gimli); Wild Turkey 741 (ON, Vankleek Hill); Pied-billed Grebe 56 (BC, Victoria); Horned Grebe 767 (BC, Victoria); Red-necked Grebe 171 (ON, Barrie); Eared Grebe 3 (BC, Victoria); Western Grebe 362 (BC, Sidney-South Saltspring); Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 4558 (ON, Toronto); Band-tailed Pigeon 8 (BC, Sooke); Eurasian Collared-Dove 335 (BC, Oliver-Osoyoos); White-winged Dove 1 (AB, Calgary); Mourning Dove 1416 (ON, Peterborough); Anna's Hummingbird 1084 (BC, Victoria); Rufous Hummingbird 1 (BC, Pender Islands); Virginia Rail 13 (BC, Ladner); Sora 1 (ON, Woodstock); American Coot 2501 (ON, Blenheim); Sandhill Crane 3717 (ON, Long Point).

American Avocet 1 (BC, Ladner); Black Oystercatcher 220 (BC, Deep Bay); Black-bellied Plover 204 (BC, Ladner); Killdeer 158 (BC, Victoria); Whimbrel 3 (BC, White Rock-Surrey-Langley); Black-tailed Godwit 1 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth); Marbled Godwit 4 (BC, White Rock-Surrey-Langley); Ruddy Turnstone 1 (BC, Deep Bay; NS, Yarmouth); Black Turnstone 611 (BC, Deep Bay); Red Knot 14 (NS, Cape Sable Island); Surfbird 363 (BC, Pender Islands); Sanderling 241 (BC, Ladner); Dunlin 35,698 (BC, Ladner); Rock Sandpiper 15 (BC, Skidegate Inlet); Purple Sandpiper 134 (NL, Cape Race); Least Sandpiper 6 (BC, Vancouver); White-rumped Sandpiper 2 (NS, Sable Island); Western Sandpiper 15 (BC, Ladner); Short-billed Dowitcher 2 (BC, Victoria); Long-billed Dowitcher 79 (BC, Pitt Meadows); American Woodcock 1 (ON, Long Point); Wilson's Snipe 35 (BC, Ladner, Victoria); Spotted Sandpiper 4 (BC, Victoria); Greater Yellowlegs 19 (BC, White Rock-Surrey-Langley); Lesser Yellowlegs 3 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth).

Pomarine Jaeger 3 (NS, Brier Island); Dovekie 259 (NL, Cape Race); Common Murre 1270 (BC, Skidegate Inlet); Thick-billed Murre 185 (NS, Cheticamp); Razorbill 381 (NS, Cheticamp); Black Guillemot 128 (NL, Ferryland); Pigeon Guillemot 184 (BC, Victoria); Marbled Murrelet 194 (BC, Broughton Strait); Ancient Murrelet 1700 (BC, Pender Harbour); Cassin’s Auklet 2 (BC, Bamfield); Rhinoceros Auklet 147 (BC, Victoria); Atlantic Puffin 1 (NS, Yarmouth); Black-legged Kittiwake 315 (NS, Louisbourg); Bonaparte's Gull 1990 (ON, Point Pelee); Black-headed Gull 8 (NS, Antigonish); Ross’s Gull 1 (BC, Skidegate Inlet); Little Gull 2 (ON, Goderich); Common Gull 1 (NS, Springville); Short-billed Gull 3663 (BC, Duncan); Ring-billed Gull 7702 (ON, Cedar Creek); Western Gull 16 (BC, Galiano-North Saltspring); California Gull 26 (BC, Vancouver); Herring Gull 4890 (NB, Saint John); Iceland Gull 797 (NL, Corner Brook); Iceland Gull (Thayer’s) 300 (BC, Parksville-Qualicum Beach); Lesser Black-backed Gull 8 (NB, Moncton); Glaucous-winged Gull 6643 (BC, Ladner); Glaucous Gull 24 (QC, Forillon N.P.); Great Black-backed Gull 1348 (NS, Sable Island); Red-throated Loon 35 (BC, Sooke); Pacific Loon 349 (BC, Victoria); Common Loon 159 (BC, Deep Bay); Yellow-billed Loon 2 (BC, Skidegate Inlet); Northern Fulmar 1 (NS, Yarmouth; QC, Chicoutimi-Jonquiere, Otterburn Park); Northern Gannet 24 (NS, Cheticamp); Brandt's Cormorant 2591 (BC, Victoria); Double-crested Cormorant 989 (BC, Lower Howe Sound); Great Cormorant 41 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth); Pelagic Cormorant 654 (BC, Sooke); American White Pelican 1 (SK, Gardiner Dam); American Bittern 1 (BC, Pitt Meadows); Great Blue Heron 137 (BC, Ladner); Great Egret 1 (NB, Sackville); Green Heron 1 (ON, Kettle Point); Snowy Egret 1 (NS, Cape Sable Island); Black-crowned Night-Heron 9 (ON, Toronto).

Black Vulture 1 (NS, Pictou Harbour); Turkey Vulture 112 (ON, Dunnville); Osprey 1 (AB, Medicine Hat); Golden Eagle 5 (BC, Oliver-Osoyoos); Northern Harrier 101 (BC, Ladner); Sharp-shinned Hawk 13 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth); Cooper's Hawk 49 (BC, Victoria); American Goshawk 3 (AB, Edmonton, Opal); Bald Eagle 602 (BC, Harrison River); Red-shouldered Hawk 4 (ON, St. Thomas); Broad-winged Hawk 1 (NB, Edmundston; NS, White Point); Red-tailed Hawk 100 (ON, Toronto); Red-tailed Hawk (Harlan’s) 2 (BC, Kelowna, Vernon); Rough-legged Hawk 55 (ON, Linwood); Barn Owl 6 (BC, White Rock-Surrey-Langley); Western Screech-Owl 1 (BC, Kelowna, Oliver-Osoyoos); Eastern Screech-Owl 31 (ON, Wallaceburg); Great Horned Owl 38 (BC, Victoria); Snowy Owl 8 (ON, Kingston); Northern Hawk Owl 6 (AB, Opal); Northern Pygmy-Owl 4 (BC, Nakusp); Barred Owl 15 (BC, Victoria); Great Gray Owl 6 (AB, Cochrane Wildlife Reserve); Long-eared Owl 2 (NS, Bedford-Sackville; ON, Point Pelee, St. Thomas, Toronto; QC, Longueuil); Short-eared Owl 11 (BC, Smithers); Boreal Owl 1 (AB, Edmonton); Northern Saw-whet Owl 9 (NS, Lunenburg).

Belted Kingfisher 42 (BC, Victoria); Red-headed Woodpecker 3 (ON, Blenheim); Red-bellied Woodpecker 112 (ON, London); Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 4 (ON, Napanee); Red-breasted Sapsucker 20 (BC, Duncan); American Three-toed Woodpecker 15 (AB, Sheep River); Black-backed Woodpecker 5 (SK, Prince Albert N.P.); Downy Woodpecker 355 (AB, Edmonton); Hairy Woodpecker 195 (MB, Winnipeg); Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 530 (BC, Victoria); Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 49 (NL, St. John’s); Pileated Woodpecker 67 (BC, Parksville-Qualicum Beach); American Kestrel 30 (ON, Peach Tree); Merlin 16 (BC, Duncan); Gyrfalcon 1 (AB, Beaverlodge; MB, Portage la Prairie; NB, Restigouche; SK, Qu'Appelle); Peregrine Falcon 10 (ON, Toronto); Prairie Falcon 3 (AB, Milk River).

Black Phoebe 1 (BC, Chilliwack); Eastern Phoebe 3 (NB, Wolfville); Northern Shrike 12 (QC, Quebec); Hutton's Vireo 6 (BC, Duncan, Parksville-Qualicum Beach); Canada Jay 66 (AB, Cochrane Wildlife Reserve); Steller's Jay 151 (BC, Chilliwack); Blue Jay 629 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth); California Scrub-Jay 7 (BC, Ladner); Black-billed Magpie 2096 (AB, Calgary); Clark's Nutcracker 176 (BC, Stuix-Tweedsmuir); American Crow 90,000 (ON, St. Clair N.W.A.); Common Raven 1841 (NT, Yellowknife); Horned Lark 942 (ON, West Elgin); Black-capped Chickadee 2398 (ON, Ottawa-Gatineau); Mountain Chickadee 273 (AB, Banff-Canmore); Chestnut-backed Chickadee 2495 (BC, Victoria); Boreal Chickadee 163 (AB, Snake's Head); Tufted Titmouse 41 (QC, Granby); Bushtit 1349 (BC, Victoria); Red-breasted Nuthatch 580 (BC, Victoria); White-breasted Nuthatch 421 (MB, Winnipeg); Pygmy Nuthatch 279 (BC, Kelowna); Brown Creeper 132 (BC, Victoria).

Canyon Wren 24 (BC, Oliver-Osoyoos); House Wren 1 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth; ON, Woodhouse Township); Pacific Wren 328 (BC, Victoria); Winter Wren 23 (ON, Toronto); Marsh Wren 26 (BC, Victoria); Carolina Wren 109 (ON, Hamilton); Bewick's Wren 300 (BC, Victoria); American Dipper 52 (BC, Squamish); Golden-crowned Kinglet 1005 (BC, Victoria); Ruby-crowned Kinglet 307 (BC, Victoria); Eastern Bluebird 58 (ON, St. Catharines); Western Bluebird 184 (BC, Oliver-Osoyoos); Mountain Bluebird 3 (BC, Oliver-Osoyoos); Townsend's Solitaire 44 (BC, Lake Country); Hermit Thrush 28 (BC, Victoria); American Robin 8003 (BC, Victoria); Varied Thrush 486 (BC, Nanaimo); Gray Catbird 6 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth); Brown Thrasher 1 (MB, Cypress River-Spruce Woods, Winnipeg; NB, Saint John; ON, Kingston); Northern Mockingbird 19 (ON, Toronto); European Starling 7284 (BC, Chilliwack); Bohemian Waxwing 10,583 (BC, Kelowna); Cedar Waxwing 454 (ON, Port Hope-Cobourg); House Sparrow 6176 (MB, Winnipeg); American Pipit 59 (BC, Ladner); Evening Grosbeak 900 (MB, Pinawa-Lac du Bonnet); Pine Grosbeak 392 (MB, Pinawa-Lac du Bonnet); Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch 14 (BC, Oliver-Osoyoos); House Finch 1441 (AB, Calgary); Purple Finch 82 (NS, West Hants); Cassin's Finch 81 (BC, Nakusp); Common Redpoll 349 (MB, Pinawa-Lac du Bonnet); Hoary Redpoll 29 (NT, Yellowknife); Red Crossbill 222 (BC, Williams Lake); White-winged Crossbill 284 (YT, Kluane Lake); Pine Siskin 1085 (BC, Smithers); American Goldfinch 950 (NS, Wolfville).

Lapland Longspur 54 (ON, Kingston); Snow Bunting 10,152 (ON, Saugeen Shores); Chipping Sparrow 8 (NS, Wolfville); Clay-colored Sparrow 2 (BC, Victoria); Field Sparrow 16 (ON, West Elgin); American Tree Sparrow 667 (ON, Long Point); Fox Sparrow 551 (BC, Victoria); Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 2157 (ON, St. Thomas); Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 6207 (BC, Victoria); White-throated Sparrow 128 (ON, Kleinburg); Harris's Sparrow 1 (AB, Medicine Hat, Snake's Head; BC, Ladner, Princeton, Vernon, Williams Lake; ON, Kettle Point; SK, Swift Current, Watrous-Manitou Beach); White-crowned Sparrow 822 (BC, Victoria); Golden-crowned Sparrow 2418 (BC, Victoria); Savannah Sparrow 36 (BC, Victoria); Savannah Sparrow (Ipswich) 44 (NS, Sable Island); Song Sparrow 1136 (BC, Vancouver); Lincoln's Sparrow 68 (BC, Victoria); Swamp Sparrow 51 (ON, Blenheim); Green-tailed Towhee 1 (NB, Sackville); Spotted Towhee 1215 (BC, Victoria); Eastern Towhee 2 (ON, Skunk's Misery).

Yellow-breasted Chat 6 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth, Yarmouth); Yellow-headed Blackbird 1 (ON, Long Point); Western Meadowlark 68 (BC, Victoria); Orchard Oriole 1 (NS, Glace Bay); Baltimore Oriole 4 (NL, St. John's); Red-winged Blackbird 1249 (BC, Vernon); Brown-headed Cowbird 1591 (ON, St. Clair N.W.A.); Rusty Blackbird 40 (ON, Long Point); Brewer's Blackbird 1303 (BC, Parksville-Qualicum Beach); Common Grackle 264 (ON, Wallaceburg); Northern Waterthrush 1 (ON, Cedar Creek); Orange-crowned Warbler 5 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth, Yarmouth); Common Yellowthroat 1 (NS, Yarmouth; ON, Blenheim, Kleinburg, Point Pelee); Palm Warbler 1 (BC, Victoria; NB, Lepreau; NS, Halifax-Dartmouth; ON, Kleinburg); Pine Warbler 8 (NS, Halifax-Dartmouth); Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 78 (NS, Yarmouth); Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 23 (BC, Chilliwack); Yellow-throated Warbler 1 (NB, Mactaquac; NL, St. John's; NS, Truro; ON, Delta); Hermit Warbler 1 (NL, St. John’s); Townsend's Warbler 3 (BC, Duncan); Western Tanager 1 (BC, Lower Howe Sound; NS, Antigonish); Northern Cardinal 723 (ON, Ottawa-Gatineau); Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1 (ON, Kawartha); Indigo Bunting 1 (ON, Nipigon-Red Rock); Dickcissel 2 (NS, Glace Bay).