Marathon CBC summary

On Sunday, December 20 about twenty five birders fanned out over the Marathon - Pic River - Heron Bay area during a very productive and enjoyable Christmas Bird Count. This was the 33rd year Marathon has participated in this international Citizen Science project since 1958.

The limited snow cover enabled bird-counting parties to access the bush without snowshoes or skis. On a trek to Sturdee Cove, Nick Escott and Brian Moore crossed paths with a Barred Owl (a count first) and a Townsend's Solitaire, a Rocky Mountain species which rarely strays into Ontario in the winter. On Hawk’s Ridge, Kyle and Christine Drake were rewarded with a Black-backed Woodpecker.


Thanks to the efforts of backyard feeder watchers, White-breasted Nuthatch, Northern Cardinal, Fox Sparrow and Eastern Towhee were tallied.

Some of the numbers

• 38 species seen on count day (average 25.1, highest was 40 species in 2001)
• total individuals: 1139 (average 1035)
• high counts: Mourning Dove (33) (prev high 27 in 2007); Blue Jay (9) (prev high 5 in 2005)
• Two new species for Count Day: Ring-necked Duck (1) and Barred Owl (1)
• Townsend's Solitaire - 2nd ever for count (first in 1988)
• Eastern Towhee (a single bird for the 6th year)
• Fox Sparrow - 2nd ever for count (first in 2007)
• Chipping Sparrow - new species for count week

Special thanks to The Friends of Pukaskwa for donating a bird field guide
and the Pukaskwa NP anniversary pins and to Laura Lea Comeau for donating a beautiful Gray Jay print and calendar.

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Count totals:
Ring-necked Duck 1 (new to count)
Long-tailed Duck 7
Common Goldeneye 6
Ruffed Grouse 3
Bald Eagle 2
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Herring Gull 300
Glaucous Gull 2
Rock Pigeon (6CW)
Mourning Dove 33 (HC)
Barred Owl 1 (new to count)
Downy Woodpecker 23
Hairy Woodpecker 5
American Three-toed Woodpecker 2
Black-backed Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Northern Shrike (1CW)
Gray Jay 20
Blue Jay 9 (HC)
American Crow 14
Common Raven 245
Black-capped Chickadee 187
Boreal Chickadee 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch 29
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Brown Creeper 1
Townsend's Solitaire 1
American Robin 20
European Starling 96
Bohemian Waxwing (50CW)
waxwing sp 14
Eastern Towhee 1
Chipping Sparrow (1CW)
Fox Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow (1CW)
Dark-eyed Junco 11
Snow Bunting 5
Northern Cardinal 3
blackbird sp 1
Pine Grosbeak 40
Red Crossbill 2
White-winged Crossbill 6
Common Redpoll 2
American Goldfinch 2
Evening Grosbeak 36
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(CW)=seen in count week; (HC)=high count