The 35th Sunshine Coast Christmas Bird Count (CBC) was held on Dec. 14 with good weather conditions of overcast skies, drizzle at times and generally calm wind.
Within the 15-mile diameter circle we recorded 91 species of birds and almost 20,000 individuals.
The 21st Pender Harbour CBC was held a week later on Dec. 21 and again conditions were good with overcast skies and calm winds though the ground was snow covered after recent snowfall. Seventy-eight species of birds were recorded during the Pender count.
The local CBCs are part of an effort organized by the Audubon Society in the U.S.A. and Bird Studies Canada in Canada.
The CBC is the longest running bird database in the world, dating back to the first counts in 1900 and such a long and geographically diverse database allows the tracking of bird populations on a continent-wide scale.
Equally, the 35 Sunshine Coast counts and the 21 Pender Harbour counts allow for analysis of local population trends over the period since the first count in 1979. Bird populations can vary locally from year-to-year by wide margins and only long-term data can determine actual trends.
On the Sunshine Coast count the rarest birds recorded this year were a single Bohemian waxwing that appeared at a cotoneaster bush in a Lower Gibsons garden and a Townsend's solitaire in Wilson Creek.
At the Pender Harbour count the "best" species were a swamp sparrow on Garden Bay Road, another Townsend's solitaire , and two turkey vultures in the Earl's Cove area.
Normally, one of the most common of all Sunshine Coast birds in winter is the pine siskin, a small brown finch that often congregates in large flocks of hundreds of birds.
Local birders had observed back in November that siskins were absent from the Sunshine Coast this winter and the two CBCs confirmed this, as not a single siskin was found.
Siskins, like other finches, are irruptive, meaning they move around the country in search of the best food opportunities. Despite the lack of siskins this winter they will return sooner or later.
American robins provided a point of interest this year. Usually, this is a scarce bird in mid-winter on the Sunshine Coast with only low numbers present.
The count this year was a very high 416 birds. However, virtually all the birds were in Sechelt and Davis Bay with less than 10 in Gibsons. I have no explanation for this anomaly.
In my last column prior to the count I requested information on Anna's hummingbirds. I have been overwhelmed by the response and I wish to thank everyone who contacted me. I will devote my next column to Anna's hummingbird, but for now I can report that there are more than 250 of these tiny marvels on the Sunshine Coast this winter.
To report your sightings or questions contact [email protected] or call 604-885-5539.
