What a beautiful day for the Annual Christmas Bird Count.
The temperature was cool, but not cold, the sun shone, and the valley was spectacular in its snowy whiteness.
There were 53 birders in 23 parties out in the field counting the birds as well as a few watching feeders at home. Many new birders, some of whom came specifically from out of town, joined us. Welcome and thanks for helping us.
Every year birders tell me there were “not many” birds or it was very “quiet out there,” but we still seem to get around the same number, around 4,000 individual birds.
This year’s total was bigger largely due to the high number of Bohemian waxwings gorging on all the fermented tree fruits – what a party they were having!
Yet again the Smithers count got the ‘grand slam’ of seeing all four chickadee species. In the past, we have been the only count in B.C. that got all four.
Lots of tiny, but fierce, northern pygmy owls were out hunting, and we watched one scare off a large flock of waxwings – birds that are twice their own size.
The number of red-breasted nuthatches was up this year. Apparently, their numbers are cyclical, and this was a high year.
The presence of open water meant we also saw quite a few different waterfowl.
Not often seen on the count was a goshawk (I prefer the name northern goshawk!), one great gray owl and one barred owl, as well as a single varied thrush.
If anyone remembers seeing any other species during Count Week, but not listed as being seen on count day, please let us know at 250-847-9429.
On behalf of the BV Naturalists, thank you to everyone who participated in this successful Christmas Bird Count.
Bulkley Valley Naturalists
2024 Annual Christmas Bird Count
Dec. 27, 2024
Total Number of birds 4,975
Total number of species 55
Plus 3 unknown identification
CW = count week
Mallard 8
Common Merganser 4
Ring-necked Duck 4
Scaup sp. 2
Common Goldeneye 7
Waterfowl sp. 15
(American) Bald Eagle - Adult 20
(American) Bald Eagle - Immature 20
(American) Northern Goshawk 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2
Ruffed Grouse 7
Spruce Grouse 2
Willow Ptarmigan CW
Eurasian Collared-dove 36
Northern Pygmy Owl 5
Barred Owl 1
Saw-wet Owl CW
Great-horned Owl 1
Great Gray Owl 1
Northern Hawk Owl 1
Hairy Woodpecker 35
Downy Woodpecker 32
Three-toed Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 56
Woodpecker sp. 3
Northern Shrike 3
Canada Jay 8
Steller's Jay 12
Clark's Nutcracker CW
Black-billed Magpie 19
Common Raven 348
American Crow 403
Black-capped Chickadee 1,030
Mountain Chickadee 3
Boreal Chickadee 15
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 50
Brown Creeper 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet 6
American Dipper 3
American Robin 26
Varied Thrush 1
Townsend's Solitaire 3
Bohemian Waxwing 1,473
Dark-eyed Junco 286
Song Sparrow 6
Brewer's Blackbird 170
Red-winged Blackbird 2
Pine Grosbeak 181
Purple Finch 1
Common Redpoll 141
Pine Siskin 58
White-winged Crossbill 86
Finch sp. 56
Evening Grosbeak 21
European Starling 90
House Sparrow 202