Bird species observed

Here are the preliminary totals from the Penticton Christmas Bird Count which was held on Dec. 16.

Here are the preliminary totals from the Penticton Christmas Bird Count which was held on Dec. 16.

Weather was decent except for a south wind that hampered viewing along some lakeshore locations and occasionally at mid-elevations as well.

The species total of 101 is above the long-term average but well below the record high of 110 species.

The highlight was the brambling found at a feeder in Summerland.

This is the first record of that species on the count.

Three additional species were seen in count week (three days before the count):  Green-winged Teal, Western Grebe and Snowy Owl.

Good numbers of robins and bluebirds were seen, though neither total is a record.

Snow Goose 15

Cackling Goose 7

Canada Goose 2,875

Trumpeter Swan 8

Tundra Swan 2

Wood Duck 2

Gadwall 16

American Wigeon 273

Mallard 1,763

Canvasback 4

Redhead 92

Greater Scaup 201

Lesser Scaup 2

Bufflehead 43

Common Goldeneye 32

Hooded Merganser 25

Common Merganser 69

Red-breasted Merganser 1

Ruddy Duck 2

Ring-necked Pheasant 16

Ruffed Grouse 1

California Quail 2,227

Common Loon 7

Pied-billed Grebe 2

Horned Grebe 13

Red-necked Grebe 4

Great Blue Heron 16

Bald Eagle 46

Northern Harrier 3

Sharp-shinned Hawk 18

Cooper’s Hawk 12

Northern Goshawk 1

Red-tailed Hawk 46

Rough-legged Hawk 4

Golden Eagle 6

Peregrine Falcon 1

American Kestrel 10

Merlin 8

American Coot 883

Mew Gull 3

Ring-billed Gull 180

California Gull 377

Herring Gull 214

Thayer’s Gull 2

Glaucous-winged Gull 84

GW X Western Gull 5

Glaucous Gull 13

gull, sp. 139

Rock Pigeon 462

Eurasian Collared-Dove 12

Mourning Dove 27

Great Horned Owl 10

Northern Pygmy-Owl 3

Long-eared Owl 1

Northern Saw-whet Owl 1

Belted Kingfisher 5

Downy Woodpecker 12

Hairy Woodpecker 8

Red-shafted Flicker 428

Pileated Woodpecker 7

Northern Shrike 4

Steller’s Jay 97

Blue Jay 1

Clark’s Nutcracker 110

Black-billed Magpie 380

American Crow 264

Common Raven 478

Black-capped Chickadee 228

Mountain Chickadee 119

Red-breasted Nuthatch 79

White-breasted Nuthatch 18

Pygmy Nuthatch 145

Brown Creeper 2

Canyon Wren 3

Pacific Wren 2

American Dipper 4

Golden-crowned Kinglet 18

Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1

Western Bluebird 147

Townsend’s Solitaire 22

Hermit Thrush 2

American Robin 844

Varied Thrush 6

European Starling 5,269

Bohemian Waxwing 1,108

Cedar Waxwing 217

waxwing, sp. 40

Yellow-rumped Warbler 2

Spotted Towhee 10

American Tree Sparrow 1

Song Sparrow 221

White-throated Sparrow 1

White-crowned Sparrow 49

Dark-eyed (Ore) Junco 1,099

Dark-eyed (Sc) Junco 4

Red-winged Blackbird 83

Brambling 1

Pine Grosbeak 18

Cassin’s Finch 4

House Finch 1,547

Red Crossbill 57

Common Redpoll 236

Pine Siskin 64

American Goldfinch 387

House Sparrow 757

TOTAL INDIVIDUALS 24,930

TOTAL SPECIES 101

OBSERVERS 40

 

Summerland Review