The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) during the 126th season in Canada was again a reminder that this century-old collaborative volunteer driven monitoring survey is important. It’s important for birds and for people. Monitoring birds year after year reveal trends in population changes that can offer insight on the health of ecosystems. And watching birds year after year reinforces our appreciation of the natural world, and offers opportunities for connecting within and between communities.
A sincere thank you to all who participated, in particular Compilers, Area Leaders and Regional Editors for the extra time and commitment.
BREAKDOWN
A total of 475 CBC circles submitted results for the 126th in Canada. The most Counts took place in Ontario (131), followed by British Columbia (96), and Alberta (58). Four new or revived counts were registered for the 2025-26 season: Luther Marsh, ON; Drummondville, Rivière-du-Loup, Val-Morin, QC.
Edmonton, AB, again reported the highest participation with a total of 567 people (255 Field + 312 Feeder). The following 21 circles reported 100 or more participants in descending order: Edmonton, Victoria, Calgary, Galiano-North Saltspring, Vancouver, Ottawa-Gatineau, Pitt Meadows, Toronto, London, Quebec, Kingston, Sidney-South Saltspring, Halifax-Dartmouth, White Rock-Surrey-Langley, Lethbridge, Pender Islands, Hamilton, Sault Ste. Marie, Ladner, Winnipeg, and Bedford-Sackville.
As always, weather during the CBC season tends to be variable and plays a role in bird distribution and abundance. The west coast of Canada reported a generally mild weather with below-average snowfall at lower elevations. Some parts of northern and interior British Columbia experienced heavy snowfall events. Yukon Territory was cold and reported higher precipitation than usual. The prairie provinces reported normal to milder and drier conditions in the south, although Edmonton had an early dump of snow in December. Ontario reported variable weather with mild conditions in December in the south, and colder weather including lake-effect snowfall may have resulted in lower participation on some counts. Temperatures in Quebec were warmer than usual although a brief cold-spell leading up to the Count Period was noted. Conditions warmed again in late December and into January. The Atlantic provinces experienced typical weather and seasonal average temperatures with perhaps lower than usual precipitation. Newfoundland and Labrador had milder than usual conditions during the 126th period.
Count circles in Canada recorded 292 species this season, an increase of eight species compared to the previous year. One species (Eurasian Bullfinch) was new for the all-time Canada list, bringing the total to 447 species. Two additional species: Little Gull and Yellow-throated Warbler were only recorded during Count Week (three days prior to, and three days after a designated Count Day).
The top ten most abundant species in terms of individuals reported on Canadian counts during the 126th CBC season, listed from highest to lowest, were: American Crow, Canada Goose, European Starling, Mallard, Black-capped Chickadee, Rock Pigeon, American Robin, Snow Bunting, Dunlin, and American Wigeon.
HIGHLIGHTS
After an absence last season, one Pink-footed Goose was back in St. John’s, NL. The only Ross’s Geese were singles recorded in Medicine Hat, AB, and Blenheim, ON. Lethbridge claimed the top spot for Canada Geese in Alberta. In Ontario, Ganonoque reported 948 Mute Swans, while 17,438 Canvasback at Holiday Beach and 2589 White-winged Scoters at Peach Tree also represented North American highs. There were two count day King Eiders in Ontario, one at Presqu’ile P.P., and one in Toronto. Prince Edward Island’s East Point count remains the Black Scoter stronghold in Canada. The only Blue-winged Teal on a Count Day was at Rossland-Warfield, BC, while three Cinnamons were in Vancouver, BC.
Northern circles in Canada showed up in the gamebird department with North American high counts for Gray Partridge (1100; Regina, SK), Ruffed Grouse (35; Cape Tormentine, NB), Spruce Grouse (16; Whitehorse, YT), Rock Ptarmigan (8; Iqaluit, NU), and Willow Ptarmigan (4; Whitehorse, YT).
The eruption of Short-tailed Shearwaters in the Salish Sea during the fall of 2025 was documented with a North American high of 112 at Parksville-Qualicum Beach, BC. The same circle also recorded the only Clark’s Grebe of the season. Selkirk, MB, hosted the only American White Pelican and Vancouver, BC, reported a Glossy/White-faced Ibis for the second time.
Forty-seven Golden Eagles at Pemberton-Mt. Currie, BC, was the North American high count. The trend of wintering Broad-winged Hawks was noted with singles at Amherst and Glace Bay, NS, while a single Swainson’s Hawk was at Miscou Island, NB. Thirteen species of owl were reported on counts in Canada with four of those being high counts for North America: Snowy Owl, Northern Hawk Owl, Great Gray Owl, and Boreal Owl.
A remarkable list of 25 shorebird species was noted during the 126th, which again may be attributed to the mild winter conditions. A single Black-necked Stilt overwintered at White Rock-Surrey-Langley, BC, and a single Lesser Yellowlegs was at Cape Sable Island, NS. Other notable shorebirds included four Hudsonian Whimbrel (Ladner, BC), one Long-billed Curlew (White Rock-Langley-Surrey, BC), three Spotted Sandpipers (Ucluelet, BC), ten Red Knots (Chezzetcook, NS), five White-rumped Sandpipers (Cape Race, NL), and two Short-billed Dowitcher and one Red Phalarope (Victoria, BC). American Woodcocks were at Long Point and Point Pelee, ON. High counts for North America were Black Oystercatcher (192; Deep Bay, BC), Black Turnstone (397; Deep Bay, BC), Surfbird (35; Ucluelet, BC), and Purple Sandpiper (280; Cape Race, NL)
Alcids were well represented in Canada with North American high counts for Black Guillemot (168; Ferryland, NL), Marbled Murrelet (162; Pender Harbour, BC), and Ancient Murrelet (3011; Sidney-South Saltspring, BC). The same went for gulls where 14 species were reported across the country. A Count Week Little Gull was at Pictou Harbour, NS, while North American highs for Black-legged Kittiwake (426; Brier Island, NS), Bonaparte’s Gull (8900; Parksville-Qualicum Beach, BC), and Black-headed Gull (15; Antigonish, NS) were standout. In the large gull department also, Iceland (921; Powell River, BC), Glacous-winged (6821; Ladner, BC), Glaucous (73; Iqaluit, NU), and Great Black-backed (1981; Longueuil, QC) all represented the highest counts in North America. The only tern found during the 126th was a Forster’s Tern at The Sydneys, NS.
Wintering Anna’s Hummingbirds seemed to be slightly down compared to previous years, possibly due to cold snaps during late winter of the previous season. A Rufous Hummingbird at Victoria, BC, demonstrates that species’ resilience when food is present. Edmonton, AB, held top spot for Downy Woodpecker (438), while Ottawa-Gatineau, ON, had the highest total for Hairy Woodpeckers (144). Five American Three-toed Woodpecker from Banff-Canmore, AB, was the North American high for this species.
Two circles in British Columbia reported Say’s Phoebe, Kelowna and Lake Country. A North American high count of 18 Northern Shrikes were at Quebec, QC. A White-eyed Vireo at St. Martins, NB was a treat, and single Blue-headed Vireos at Cape Sable Island and Yarmouth, NS, were also notable. California Scrub-Jays in the Lower Mainland of BC were down after an irruptive year. As in recent years, the highest North American totals for Black-billed Magpie (3716; Calgary, AB), American Crow (127,339; St. Clair N.W.A., ON), and Common Raven (2851; Whitehorse, YT) came from circles in Canada. A high of three Fish Crows at Kingston, ON, could be revealing an interesting northward trend for that species.
A very hardy Tree Swallow was reported from Brier Island, NS, while a total of 11 Barn Swallows were reported from seven circles in British Columbia on Count Day. Ottawa-Gatineau, ON, reported 3112 Black-capped Chickadees and Victoria, BC, had 2777 Chestnut-backed Chickadees, both representing the highest totals in North America. In British COlumbia, a single Rock Wren at Peachland was mentionable, as was a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in Victoria. A very tardy Swainson’s Thrush lingered at Slocan Lake, BC, while single Brown Thrashers were counted at Carman, MB; and Dryden, La Foret Larose, and Long Point, ON.
The Bohemian Waxwing (14,540) stronghold during the 126th was Prince George, BC, while Blenheim, ON, held the most Snow Buntings (9698) on the continent. Wood-warblers this season included single Ovenbird (Toronto, ON), Northern Waterthrush (Yarmouth, NS), Black-and-white-Warbler (Port L’Herbert, NS), Palm Warbler (Cape Sable Island, NS; Port L’Hebert, NS; Wolfville, NS), and Wilson’s Warbler (Bella Coola, BC; Kelowna, BC). A Count Week Yellow-throated Warbler was at Cheticamp, NS, and the only Yellow-breasted Chat was in Halifax-Dartmouth, NS.
Victoria, BC, maintained the highest North American counts for Fox Sparrow (385), Dark-eyed Junco (6825), Golden-crowned Sparrow (1985), and Spotted Towhee (1007)! A Painted Bunting at Cape Tormentine, NB, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak at Huntsville, ON, and two Dickcissels at The Sydnes, NS, bear mentioning. A Hooded Oriole at Tofino, BC was a thrill for counters in that new circle, and single Baltimore Orioles were at St. John’s, NL; and Lunenburg, and Truro, NS.
Impressively, three circles in British Columbia reported Bramblings: Greater Masset, Smithers, and Terrace. The rarest vagrant however was a Eurasian Bullfinch at Watson Lake, YT, representing a new species for the CBC in Canada. Finch numbers seemed to be healthy in the east where Kingston reported the North American high counts for American Goldfinch and Evening Grosbeak. Eagle River, ON, had the highest count for Pine Grosbeak (456) while Edmonton held its place as the House Finch (1481) capital in Canada. The latter is especially remarkable since the first House Finch to be reported on a CBC in Edmonton was a mere 20 years ago! What a poignant reminder of the ability for birds to change their distribution and the importance of long-term monitoring to document those changes.