81st Annual Saskatchewan Christmas Bird Count - 2022

The CountsThe number of counts rebounded nicely from 78 in 2021-22 to 83 this past winter, while the number of observers rose from 729 to 792.As we shall see, this increase in effort did not translate into an increase in the number of birds and species seen on the counts. The WeatherAverage minimum and maximum temperatures for the count period (with 2021-22 records in brackets) were -17 to -13 C (-22 to -17 C), wind speeds 8 to 17 km/h (11 to 22 km/h), and snow depths 18 to 39 cm (15 to 29 cm).Weather conditions were thus, on average, warmer and calmer compared to the previous winter, while average snow depths were deeper.The most remarkable difference, however, was the amount of fog.Fog was reported on 10 counts this past count compared to only one count the winter before.Fog probably reduced long-distance visibility and thus the number of birds recorded on those counts. The BirdsThe 98,499 birds counted was the fewest since 2014 and much lower than the century average of around 127,000.Much of the decline was due to the almost complete absence of Common Redpoll, which declined from 20,450 birds in 2021-2022 to only 350 this winter (Table 3).Eighty-six species were recorded on count day, the fewest since 1992, while the average number of species per count at 17.7 was the lowest since 2014 with 17.2.Saskatoon and Gardiner Dam tied for the most species on count day with 38. Population TrendsWaterfowl were generally found in lower-than-average numbers and variety in their few overwintering locations.In contrast was the massive increase in the number of upland game birds: Gray Partridge exploded from 3,028 in the winter of 2021-22 to 6,903 this last winter, Ring-necked Pheasant from 223 to 605, and Sharp-tailed Grouse from 989 to 2,731 (Table 3).Diurnal raptors (hawks and falcons) were generally found at or near normal numbers.Trends for owls were, however, a different story.Boreal forest owls were almost absent from the forest fringe with only two Northern Hawk Owls on two counts and only one Great Gray Owl.Farther south only two Short-eared Owls were found at two locations compared to 21 at seven locations the previous winter (Table 4).Even Great Horned Owls were down with only 53 birds versus 103 in 2021-22 (Table 3); this is hard to explain given the sedentary nature of the species.Trends in numbers of the two common open country passerines were somewhat different.Horned Larks were way down from 1,495 on 22 counts in 2021-22 to 230 on 16 counts.Snow Buntings were down from 21,257 to 13,405; however, the number of localities recording the species increased from 61 to 65 (Table 3).The range expansion of the introduced Eurasian Collared-Dove and House Finch appears to have stalled with no appreciable change in the range or numbers of either species.Results for finches were mixed.As mentioned, numbers of the Common Redpoll imploded, while no Hoary Redpolls were reported.Pine Grosbeaks dropped from 1,613 to 371 birds over the previous winter, but White-winged Crossbills increased from 55 to 374 birds (Table 3). New SpeciesTwo new species, both gulls, were added to the all-time list.Normally a year-round resident of the High Arctic, an Ivory Gull was recorded on the Turtle Lake count, while a California Gull was noted during the count period at Regina.The Ivory Gull, an immature bird, spent nearly a month feeding on offal discarded by ice fishermen.These species bring the all-time list of species recorded on the Christmas Bird Count to a remarkable 195. Other RaritiesOther rarities included two woodpeckers.An immature Lewis's Woodpecker was seen during the count period in Moose Jaw, while a Red-bellied Woodpecker was seen on the Regina count.These were, respectively, our second and eighth CBC records (Table 6).

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