Guelph’s 56th Christmas Bird Count took place on Sunday, December 18. Weather conditions were fairly poor for surveying birds, with a low of -5 Celcius, and a high of -1 Celcius, strong winds, and intermittent snow, which probably reduced counts of some species and the overall species total and numbers. A record 75 participants reported 68 species (slightly above the average of 66 for the last decade) and a total of 12,998 birds.
There were no new species for the count, but 6 species had record numbers (previous records and years shown in brackets):
- Greater White-fronted Goose – 2 (1 in 2006)
- Trumpeter Swan – 49 (36 in 2021)
- Bald Eagle – 13 (10 in 2021)
- Belted Kingfisher – 15 (13 in 2018)
- Common Raven – 58 (55 in 2021)
- Hermit Thrush – 3 (1 in 2009)
The swan, eagle and raven have all been showing steady increases in recent years.
Notable, but not record, numbers were reported for:
- American Wigeon – 2 (record 3 in 1971)
- Eastern Bluebird – 10 (record 38 in 2021)
Great Horned Owl and Merlin were notable absences, likely due to the poor weather. Both were reported during Count Week, along with Golden Eagle and Snow Goose. Winter Finches were generally scarce (25 Common Redpoll, 1 Pine Siskin and 1 Purple Finch) except for 38 Evening Grosbeaks, which is the highest tally in over 20 years (though far below the record 495 reported in 1977).
A complete list of the birds reported is provided below.
Thanks to everyone who took part, especially the group leaders, and to Nature Guelph for providing a prize for a lucky participant.
| Species |
Number |
| Canada Goose | 4,906 |
| Mute Swan | 2 |
| Trumpeter Swan | 49 |
| Tundra Swan | 0 |
| Wood Duck | 0 |
| Black Duck | 66 |
| Mallard | 1,510 |
| Bufflehead | 1 |
| Common Goldeneye | 8 |
| Hooded Merganser | 7 |
| Common Merganser | 57 |
| Ring-necked Pheasant | 0 |
| Ruffed Grouse | 2 |
| Wild Turkey | 125 |
| Great Blue Heron | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 13 |
| Northern Harrier | 3 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 8 |
| Goshawk | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 26 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 |
| American Kestrel | 1 |
| Merlin | 0 |
| Ring-billed Gull | 149 |
| Herring Gull | 128 |
| Great black-backed Gull | 0 |
| Rock Pigeon | 327 |
| Mourning Dove | 405 |
| Eastern Screech-Owl | 10 |
| Great Horned Owl | 0 |
| Long-eared Owl | 0 |
| Belted Kingfisher | 15 |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | 22 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 63 |
| Hairy Woodpecker | 45 |
| Northern Flicker | 1 |
| Pileated Woodpecker | 9 |
| Northern Shrike | 1 |
| Blue Jay | 142 |
| American Crow | 424 |
| Common Raven | 58 |
| Horned Lark | 0 |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 626 |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | 39 |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | 61 |
| Brown Creeper | 10 |
| Winter Wren | 6 |
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | 44 |
| Hermit Thrush | 3 |
| American Robin | 366 |
| Eurasian Starling | 1,770 |
| Bohemian Waxwing | 2 |
| Cedar Waxwing | 175 |
| American Tree Sparrow | 161 |
| Song Sparrow | 3 |
| Swamp Sparrow | 3 |
| White-throated Sparrow | 3 |
| Dark-eyed Junco | 450 |
| Snow Bunting | 55 |
| Northern Cardinal | 135 |
| Common Grackle | 0 |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | 0 |
| Pine Grosbeak | 0 |
| Purple Finch | 1 |
| House Finch | 25 |
| Common Redpoll | 25 |
| Pine Siskin | 1 |
| American Goldfinch | 300 |
| House Sparrow | 80 |
| Additional Species | |
| Green-winged Teal | 2 |
| Iceland Gull | 1 |
| Mallard x Northern Pintail Hybrid | 1 |
| Evening Grosbeak | 39 |
| American Wigeon | 2 |
| Mallard x Am. Black Duck Hybrid | 1 |
| Eastern Bluebird | 10 |
| Carolina Wren | 1 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 1 |
| White-crowned sparrow | 6 |
| White-fronted Goose | 2 |
| Total Number of Birds | 12,998 |
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| Count Week | |
| Great Horned Owl | |
| Snow Goose | |
| Golden Eagle | |
| Merlin |
Photos: Marilyn White