During Hamilton’s annual Christmas bird survey, a rare orange-crowned warbler was spotted, delighting birdwatchers. Volunteer Bob Curry shared his excitement, having seen the warbler near Woodland Cemetery on the peninsula reaching towards Carroll’s Point in Hamilton Harbour. He described the bird’s appearance, noting its greenish-yellow body with dusky streaks on the breast and yellow under tail coverts, along with a greyish head and neck, a pale streak near the eye, and a crescent-shaped eye ring.
Curry, among the many volunteers at the event on Dec. 26, participated in the long-standing tradition dating back to 1921, organized by the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club. The club plans to submit the collected data to the National Audubon Society for further analysis.
Rob Porter, the bird study group director at the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club, emphasized the rarity of spotting an orange-crowned warbler in Ontario, as it can go unseen for entire winters. He highlighted the observation of 94 bird species during the count, including uncommon sightings like 12 hermit thrushes, breaking a previous record.
The bird count also revealed notable sightings, such as 26 Carolina wrens, which marked the lowest count since 2005, and a record count of 211 trumpeter swans. Additionally, common species like Canada Geese and European Starlings were among the most populous observed during the count.
The annual Christmas bird count tradition, initiated in New York City in 1900, takes place in designated count circles between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5. In Hamilton, the count typically occurs on Boxing Day, extending to areas in Burlington, Ont., where uncommon birds like the gray catbird were spotted in Duncaster Park.