Received word earlier today that the final tally of the Rondeau Christmas Count was 102 species. At least it broke 100, but apparently was under Long Point. A notable miss was Great Blue Heron. Weird for this count. The last time it was not recorded was in 1971.
This count was started in 1939 with a slightly different circle centre, but was moved in 1945. It is interesting to note how species counts have changed. For example, Red-headed Woodpeckers were quite common. Now we are lucky to find them in winter. In 1983, a high of 114 was recorded according to the chart I have. Two were recorded this time around.
Blake, great historical insight on the count results. Red headed Woodpeckers are one of my favorite birds. It seems their population would go up with the warming trend that has been happening, but removal of snags and non-wooden post materials is hurting them. ROM also noted this trend on this page: http://www.rom.on.ca/ontario/risk.php?doc_type=fact&id=120
ReplyDeleteDwayne