Wednesday, December 14, 2016

2016 Big Year at a glance

At this time of year, I always like to see where I'd be at if I were doing an Ontario Big Year. So far in 2016, I've seen 294 species. Several of these species

Highlights:
Grace's Warbler (!!)
Common Ringed-Plover (!)

Crested Caracara (!)

Shearwater sp. (!)
Townsend's Warbler


 Added with these, a few nice self-finds, like these:
Swainson's Hawk
Western Sandpiper
Carolina X Black-capped Chickadee hybrid (obviously not counted in the species list)
Henslow's Sparrow
Neotropic Cormorant
Eurasian Collared-Dove

When this is added in, there's a total 51 species + 6 possible species seen in Ontario that I would have been able to see:

Bohemian Waxwing
Brant
Hudsonian Godwit
Red Knot
Long-eared Owl
Purple Sandpiper
Red Crossbill
Hoary Redpoll
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Barrow's Goldeneye
Ross's Goose
Spruce Grouse
Red Phalarope
Pomarine Jaeger
Eared Grebe
Great Gray Owl
American White Pelican
Le Conte's Sparrow
Snowy Egret Holiday Beach - August
American Three-toed Woodpecker
Boreal Owl
Laughing Gull Rock Point
Gray Partridge Ottawa
Yellow-throated Warbler June - Thickson's Woods
Prairie Warbler
Western Meadowlark Rainy River
Yellow Rail
Northern Bobwhite Walpole Island
Ruff May - Brighton
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck July - Hamilton
Common Eider May/June - Burlington
Varied Thrush Feb/March - Kirkland Lake
Arctic Tern Burnt Point
Smith's Longspur Burnt Point
Willow Ptarmigan Burnt Point
Worm-eating Warbler May - Pelee 
Mississippi Kite May - Pelee/Niagara
Louisiana Waterthrush
Spotted Towhee February - Thunder Bay
Eurasian Tree-Sparrow January - Bruce Peninsula
Bullock's Oriole January - Ottawa
Vermilion Flycatcher January 1 - Wallaceburg
Townsend's Solitaire January - Toronto
Western Grebe Spring - Toronto
Cattle Egret October 14 - Hamilton
Thick-billed Murre 11/25/2016 - Cobden
Black Guillemot November - Netitshi
Cave Swallow November - Pelee
Glossy Ibis October - New Liskeard
Lark Sparrow December - Toronto
Black-headed Gull December - Niagara




Unlikely, but Possible
Little Blue Heron July - Harrow/Holiday Beach
California Gull
Northern Fulmar
Western Kingbird July - Rainy River
Mountain Bluebird November - Moosonee
Barn Owl







Had I seen the 51 species would be enough to break the record, coming in at 345. The additional 6 species would bring me in at 351(!). Considering this hasn't been the greatest year for vagrants; and the Ontario big year is within the grasp of anyone looking to break the record.

4 comments:

  1. Enough talk, when is your big year attempt going to be?

    I think in a good year 350 should be quite doable.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Haha I know...I was actually thinking about it...I think my work would actually let me go part-time to do it.

    ReplyDelete