Hello Ontbirders, The 81st Toronto Christmas Bird Count was held today, Sunday December 18, under mostly cloudy skies, and temperatures a few degrees below freezing. Over 80 participants contributed to a record high species total of 91; however, the 46,470 individuals counted were the fewest since 1995. Preliminary results are reported below; final numbers will be on the Toronto Ornithological Club's website by late December, at www.torontobirding.ca/outings#cbc.html. HIGHLIGHTS (subject to review by the Toronto Bird Rarities Committee): * Savannah Sparrow, 1 at Humber Bay Park east (observed by Glenn Coady; never before recorded on TOC CBC) * Pacific Loon, 1 off Cherry Beach (observed by Richard Joos; never before recorded on TOC CBC) * Eastern Bluebird, a flock of 5 along the West Don River in Serena Gundy Park (observed by Kristen Martyn, Bruce Massey, and myself; 5th record in the count's history) Also of note, 2 Killdeer (Humber Bay Park, 13th count record), 1 Barred Owl (Leslie Spit, 14th count record), and 1 Field Sparrow (Ontario Nature headquarters, 3rd occurrence in past decade). TOP 5 SPECIES: European Starling - 9509 Greater Scaup - 5664 Long-tailed Duck - 4432 Ring-billed Gull - 3978 Mallard - 3289 RECORD HIGHS: Mute Swan - 191 (previously 157 in 2000) Lesser Scaup - 246 (previously 147 in 2003) Cooper's Hawk - 13 (previously 11 in 2002) Red-tailed Hawk - 89 (previously 76 in 1989) Merlin - 3 (previously 2 in 6 years over the past decade) Peregrine Falcon - 10 (previously 9 in 2001) Downy Woodpecker - 226 (previously 184 in 1999) Eastern Bluebird - 5 (previously 4 in 1950) Hermit Thrush - 10 (previously 7 in 1997 and 2004) Northern Mockingbird - 28 (previously 24 in 2003) House Sparrow - 2530 (previously 2513 in 1996) Also worthy of mention: * 391 Northern Cardinals (within 6 of the record set in 2000) * 177 Red-breasted Mergansers (within 2 of the record set in 1993, and the first time since 1998 that more than 60 have been seen) * 7 Pileated Woodpeckers (one short of the record set in 1999) * 1262 Black-capped Chickadees (just short of the record 1294 set in 2001, and significant because they experienced a drastic decline in 2002 after West Nile Virus hit Toronto, but have recovered much more rapidly than crows and jays - see below) * 237 American Tree Sparrows (highest count since 1972) UNUSUAL LOWS: Common Goldeneye - 465 (fewest since 1994) Long-tailed Duck - 4432 (fewest since 1995) Great Black-backed Gull - 26 (fewest since 1985) Blue Jay - 41 (best total in 4 years, but still very low compared to historical average) American Crow - 65 (better than 26 last year, but still less than 10% of their 10-year average) Cedar Waxwing - 14 (fewest since 1995) European Starling - 9509 (fewest since 1995) House Finch - 302 (fewest since 1987) SINGLE BIRDS: (not including those already mentioned) Common Loon (Humber Bay East), Red-necked Grebe (Toronto Island East), Northern Pintail (Base of Leslie Spit), Ring-necked Duck (Humber Bay East), Harlequin Duck (Humber Bay East), Northern Harrier (Leslie Spit), Glaucous Gull (Leslie Spit), Short-eared Owl (Downsview Airport), Northern Saw-whet Owl (Base of Leslie Spit), Northern Shrike (Toronto Island East), White-crowned Sparrow (Toronto Island West), Red-winged Blackbird (Toronto Island East), Rusty Blackbird (Weston), Purple Finch (Base of Leslie Spit). MISSED SPECIES / COUNT WEEK CANDIDATES?: Horned Grebe (5 times in past decade) Double-crested Cormorant (4 times in past decade) Ruddy Duck (5 times in past decade) Rough-legged Hawk (4 times in past decade) Snowy Owl (7 times in past decade) Red-bellied Woodpecker (6 times in past decade) Yellow-rumped Warbler (5 times in past decade) Common Grackle (6 times in past decade) (Note: last year record highs were set for three of these species - Double-crested Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, and Bald Eagle) Count week reports of any of the above species (or any other rarities) between Dec 15 and 21 (inclusive) are most welcome - please e-mail me privately (marcel.gahbauer@utoronto.ca) if you have any such sightings. Thanks to all who participated for making it a great count. Happy holidays and good birding to all! Marcel Gahbauer Montreal / Toronto marcel.gahbauer@utoronto.ca