The 12th annual Christmas Bird Count was held by the Annapolis Field Naturalists Society on December 29, with interesting results. The area covered by the count is centred at Port Royal and extends over 1800 square kilometers. Field observations were carried out by 20 people who drove over 200 kilometers and slogged over 40 kilometers through the snow, carefully recording all the birds seen on their route. Another 33 people monitored their backyard feeders from the comfort of their homes. Champion observer for the day was Cliff Jones of Clementsport, who recorded 25 species and 1487 individual birds. Overall, 63 species and 6648 individuals were counted. The most abundant birds in the area are American Black Ducks (1721 seen) and European Starlings (1359 seen). This will surprise no one! Herring Gulls are a distant third.
Highlights of this years count were the raptors: Bald Eagles (4), Sharp-shinned Hawks (6), Red-tailed Hawks (5), Northern Harrier (1), Barred Owls (2), Northern Goshawk (1), and Rough-legged Hawk (1). Not seen on count day but recorded soon after were a Snowy Owl and a Northern Hawk Owl. The last four species mentioned are unusual visitors to our area from the Canadian North. In contrast to other years, late-staying "summer birds" were not found in big numbers, but 8 American Robins and 8 Song Sparrows were seen.
The availability of data for our area over 12 years reveals some intriguing and unexplained trends. The actual numbers are as follows:
The very large numbers of birds seen in 1993 to 1997 are mainly due to one species, the Long-tailed Duck. Flocks of 4000 to 5000 individuals were commonly seen in Digby Gut. After 1997, these huge flocks ceased to come, and this year only 4 Long-tailed ducks were seen. There is no indication that this common species is declining, so where and why have they gone? No one knows. Big numbers of species in 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1999 were due to massive invasions of "Winter Finches", (mainly Evening and Pine Grosbeaks, Redpolls, Goldfinches and Sparrow species). These invasions did not occur in other years including 2001. Again, no clear explanation is available, since invasions occur in both mild and severe winters. One clear trend is the establishment of Mourning Doves as year-round residents here, rare birds indeed in 1990 but common and abundant now (343 were counted this year).
The North American Christmas Bird Count has taken place since 1900. With data on bird species numbers and distributions spanning a century, it is the world's largest biological study, and an invaluable asset for researchers in ecology and the environment. All the data is now available on the Internet. For more information, check out Bird Studies Canada's website at: