Fredericton Christmas Bird Count 2020 - Douglas Sector

                                                       Wild Turkeys Feeding in Apple Tree

The Fredericton Christmas Bird Count is usually held the Sunday before Christmas, 20 December this year.  The 24-km circle is divided into sectors and we cover the Douglas sector.  We have done this for many years.  More than 50 counts are done all over the province during the period from December 14 to January 5.  The Fredericton count has been done every year since the 1950s.  Christmas Bird Counts represent a good example of citizen science.  Our results for 2020 are shown below.    

Canada Goose	60		Common Raven	3
Mallard	8		Black-capped Chickadee	140
Common Goldeneye	57		Red-breasted Nuthatch	7
Barrow’s Goldeneye	2		White-breasted Nuthatch	9
Hooded Merganser	1		Brown Creeper	1
Common Merganser	11		Golden-crowned Kinglet	1
Bald Eagle	1		American Robin	24
Wild Turkey	7		Bohemian Waxwing	19
Mourning Dove	13		American Tree Sparrow	4
Downy Woodpecker	4		White-throated Sparrow	1
Hairy Woodpecker	2		Pine Grosbeak	30
Pileated Woodpecker	3		Common Redpoll	51
Blue Jay	8		American Goldfinch	28
American Crow	115		Evening Grosbeak	26

    

Our results are always interesting.  In total we had 28 different species and 636 individuals.  This meets our average for the last 10 years very well (average no. species = 26; average no. individuals = 623).  There is a lot of variability over the years with weather and food resources available to the birds being important factors.  To do the count we spend the whole day driving all our streets, watching feeders, checking the open patches on the river, talking to our friendly Douglas people about their bird visitors.  

                                            Wild Turkey Seen on Christmas Bird Count
         

I have chosen the Wild Turkeys to illustrate this report because of the 7 we saw off the Carlisle Road.  They were in an apple tree feeding on small apples and some were feeding on the ground.  That was a great find.  This species has moved into Douglas and is slowly increasing in numbers.  As far as I know they are mainly in the Carlisle Road and the Diamond Street areas.  I have not heard of them crossing the main road yet.  I have heard we have more than 7 in the area but for the count we can only record what we see that day.  

Another unusual species recorded was a pair of Barrow's Goldeneyes on the river.  We were lucky to have lots of open water and they were with the many Common Goldeneyes.  The Barrow's Goldeneye is a rarer species here.  It is mainly a western and northern species but a few winter usually along our sea coasts.  See photo below.

                                     Barrow's Goldeneyes - 1 Male, 2 Females  [Nelson Poirier Photo]

The count showed high numbers of Common Crows (115).  That is because there was a very large flock of crows flying up river.  We counted 80 in that group.  We assumed they were moving up to the grain fields on Sugar Island.  There were also many American Robins (24).  Some have not migrated yet because of the mild winter weather.  Low numbers included Mallards (8) and Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers.  They are here but were not seen on count day.  The number of Blue Jays was also low at 8.  They along with the woodpeckers may be because they were feeding on natural food in the woods and were not seen at feeders.  

What was really noticeable to us was the lack of some species:  Black Ducks, Rock Pigeons, Starlings and Northern Cardinals.  The Blacks were scarce because of the long hunting season which was still open and hunters were still shooting that day.  The lack of pigeons and starlings was unusual.  In a way it is a good thing because these species are considered pests.  What it shows is that they have found food sources elsewhere.  We don't have fast food restaurants, farms and other areas where food is spilled or thrown on the ground.  Because we didn't record any cardinals was too bad because this is a good year for cardinals and there certainly are some in our area.  

This winter has been tagged as a 'finch winter', meaning that we have flocks of winter finches moving into the area.  This does not happen every winter and depends on what food resources are found up north and whether we have a good supply.  By food resources I am referring to such things are fruit still on the trees and bushes (apples, crabs, sumac, berries, grapes, ash seeds, heavy cone crop in the conifers, etc.).  We did record higher numbers of species and individuals of finches, but not as many as I anticipated.  The sparrows and goldfinches are found every winter.  Of interest and not found every year are the Bohemian Waxwings (19), Pine Grosbeaks (30), Common Redpolls (51) and Evening Grosbeaks (26).  These species are colourful and their behaviour is interesting.  Some are very tame because they are normally in the far north where they do not encounter so many people.  They certainly are welcome additions to feeders.  The Common Redpolls are certainly here in large numbers.  I have seen many flocks this fall and winter, some as large as 75 to 100.  Some have photographed flocks so large they show the 'murmuring' that large flocks of birds sometimes do.  That is an optical phenomenon when a flock appears to roll showing pulsations of dark and then light colour.  Starling and shorebird flocks also murmur.

For the 3 days before and the 3 days after the count day we are also allowed to record any species not seen on count day.  We added Tufted Titmouse and Great Horned Owl as 'count week' species.

Many thanks to all who had full feeders on count day and who welcomed us to do our bird census.  Douglas is an excellent area  to live in and also for our avian residents.