December 2020 Monthly Challenge!

[Harrier]

December is typically a quiet month but it still has great bird watching opportunities. Raptors are abundant, especially in the farmlands such as Sumas Prairie and East Chilliwack. Keep an eye out for a potential Golden Eagle. December is also a great opportunity to observe large gull flocks in fields. Sardis Park is another great spot for a short walk to view various species of waterfowl.

Breakdown by year for December

2008 – 107 species recorded
2009 – 107 species recorded
2010 – 124 species recorded
2011 - 112 species recorded
2012 - 128 species recorded
2013 - 110 species recorded
2014 - 114 species recorded
2015 - 108 species recorded
2016 - 111 species recorded
2017 - 116 species recorded
2018 - 103 species recorded
2019 - 105 species recorded

Average species for December 112

Last updated: Jan 2

Species seen to date: 110

Less common species to watch for as you travel in our region this month:
Manning Park: Clarke's nutcracker, American Three-toed woodpecker, Mountain Chickadee, Pine Grosbeak, Red Crossbill
Harrison (Lake and Lagoon): All ducks and divers, gulls (Beach) Sparrows, Lapland Longspur, Snow Bunting
Sumas Prairie: All five falcons (Peregrine, Merlin, Kestrel, Prairie, Gyrfalcon), Barn Owl, Northern Shrike, Tundra swan, gulls

To view a list of missing species for the month, click here.

Cackling goose
Canada goose
Greater white-fronted goose
Snow goose
Trumpeter swan
Tundra swan
Wood duck
Eurasian wigeon
American wigeon
Mallard
Gadwall
Northern shoveler
Northern pintail
Green-winged teal
Ring-necked duck
Lesser scaup
Greater scaup
Bufflehead
Common goldeneye
Barrow's goldeneye
Hooded merganser
Common merganser
Ring-necked pheasant
Ruffed grouse
Western grebe
Pied-billed grebe
Common loon
Double-crested cormorant
Sandhill crane
Great blue heron
Golden Eagle
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed hawk
Rough-legged hawk
Sharp-shinned hawk
Cooper's hawk
Northern harrier
Merlin
Gyrfalcon
American kestrel
Peregrine falcon
Prairie falcon
American coot
Wilson's snipe
Killdeer
Spotted sandpiper
Ring-billed gull
Mew gull
Herring gull
Iceland gull
California Gull
Glaucous gull
Glaucous-winged gull
Western gull
Short-eared owl
Barred owl
Anna's hummingbird
Belted Kingerfisher
Rock pigeon
Eurasian collared dove
Mourning dove
Pileated woodpecker
Downy woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern flicker
Northern shrike
Canada jay
Steller's jay
California scrub jay
American crow
Common raven
Horned lark
Chestnut-backed chickadee
Black-capped chickadee
Red-breasted nuthatch
Bushtit
Brown Creeper
Marsh wren
Pacific wren
Bewick's wren
American dipper
Ruby-crowned kinglet
American robin
Varied thrush
Hermit Thrush
European starling
American Pipit
Orange-crowned warbler
Yellow-rumped warbler
Spotted towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Fox sparrow
Lincoln's sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-crowned sparrow
Golden-crowned sparrow
White-throated sparrow
Dark-eyed junco
Western meadowlark
Brewer's blackbird
Red-winged blackbird
Brown-headed cowbird
Red crossbill
Pine siskin
Purple Finch
House Finch
Lapland longspur
American goldfinch
House sparrow

[kenneth2019]

who is this open to? Is it open to anyone accepted to the board?

[graeme45]

Great Blue Heron tonight at Sardis Pond

[Harrier]

Dec 1, 2020 17:48:52 GMT -8 kenneth2019 said:

who is this open to? Is it open to anyone accepted to the board?

Yup. Feel free to list anything that you see in December that hasn't been added to the list yet.

[kenneth2019]

Our Yard Hope

Stellars Jay
Chestnut backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Dark-eyed Junco

Laidlaw Rd

Trumpeter Swan
Mew Gull

Hope Airport

Eurasian Collared Dove
Red tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Downy Woodpecker
Song Sparrow
Spotted Towhee

Hope sewage lagoons

Ring-necked Duck
Bufflehead
Barrows Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Double-crested Cormorant
Peregrine Falcon
American Dipper

[ed]

Canada Jay and Varied Thrush Elk Mtn

[Harrier]

I'm experimenting with a little section to remind birders to keep an eye out for a few species. If any of my suggestions are way off, please let me know. If you can think of any of reliable spots for species that sometimes get missed on the monthly challenge, please let me know and I'll add them.

[kenneth2019]

Kawkawa Lake

Lesser Scaup
Common Golden-eye
Hooded Merganser
Pied-billed Grebe
American Coot
Great Blue Heron

[Harrier]

Tundra swan for me today.

[birder1942]

Ed Klassen and I found two Horned Larks on Banford Rd. today. John Vooys

[ed]

Red Crossbills on Thacker Mtn

[Gord]

Had Brown Creeper today
Ring-billed, Herring, Thayer's and Western Gull to add. Found a first winter Western in the same flock as the Glaucous Gull on the 1st that passed quite well for one. A pure Western Gull is almost as rare as that Glaucous Gull!

Loving the format of the challenge. Nice work.

[Harrier]

I just had a Barred owl scream and do a couple “Hoo-ah”s just outside my bedroom window. That’s a surprising thing to hear while lazing in bed on a Saturday morning!

*Addition*
I can add American goldfinch and Sharp-shinned hawk, also from the back yard this morning. Northern flicker from yesterday.

[ed]

Two Marsh Wrens at Thacker Marsh

[Harrier]

From GBHR today:
American wigeon
European starling
Fox sparrow
Golden-crowned sparrow
Red-winged blackbird
House finch