Frontenac Christmas Bird Count - 10 Years and Counting
The powers that be smiled upon the intrepid Frontenac Bird Counters, on Saturday, December 14, 2024. Count day dawned crisp, sunny, and dry, with a couple of inches of snow and almost no wind.
A phenomenal search effort by 54 field surveyors and 13 feeder/yard-watchers resulted in 4,703 individual birds from 55 species being counted. Field surveyors spent 61 hours walking and hiking >100 km and 24 hours by driving 200 km in their search. Poking around and listening for birds in suitable habitat off the beaten path pays off. An additional 35 hours was spent watching birds at feeders and 2 hours spent on nocturnal (owl) survey.
In addition to the bird count, an afternoon Christmas Bird County (CBC) For Kids event engaged 12 children and 7 adults.
At the end of the day, 34 participants gathered for dinner.
The 2024 Frontenac CBC summary, which was produced after all the information from the survey was compiled, demonstrated the ever changing nature of bird life in Frontenac County.
Canada Goose returned as the most abundant species, thanks to persisting patches of open water, despite most waterways having already frozen over by count day.
Belted Kingfisher took top spot as this year’s “lingering migrant.”
Mourning Doves reached a 10-year high, doubling the long-term average. Chickadee numbers were
nearly 200 individuals above average. Two teams saw Snow Buntings. The highlight of one team’s survey was seeing a whopping 19 Bald Eagles – plus 8 crows and 6 ravens – feeding on a carcass on Eel Lake.
Red-breasted Nutchatches, although never present in more than a handful of individuals, were strikingly absent this year - not a single bird of this species was confirmed in the entire Frontenac census area on count day. Apart from two Common Redpolls, irruptive finches were also absent.
Tufted Titmouse and Swamp Sparrow were new species added to the Frontenac CBC circle list this year, bringing our total to 88 species.
Results from the 2024 Frontenac CBC were submitted to the National Audubon Society.
In reflecting on the past 10 years, the Frontenac CBC organising team is grateful to everyone who has counted birds, promoted this CBC, or otherwise supported surveyors. They thank the public for making the Frontenac CBC such a welcoming space for the birding community.
A sampling of the day’s activities is compiled in one participant’s video, “The Tenth Annual Frontenac Christmas Bird Count – A Celebration” – check it out on Youtube by typing “Frontenac Christmas Bird Count” in the search bar.
This year’s Frontenac CBC is a late one – Saturday, December 20
There are a few ways to participate in the CBC, either by joining a team, and joining with a group for a partial or full day as a field censor surveyor, or by registering as a “feeder” watcher and participating from your own home and property. For details about how to register, contact [email protected].
Wintergreen Studios is partnering with the Frontenac CBC by offering programming and support for aspiring and experienced birders at their 200 acre property on Canoe Lake Road in South Frontenac.
They are offering a free event from 10:30am - 3pm on the 20th. For information, go to wintergreenstudios.com/events/christmas-bird-count or google Wintergreen Christmas Bird Count.
