by Sean Fraser
Toronto’s 100th Christmas Bird Count took place on Sunday, December 15, 2024. The High Park sector recorded 50 species – a bit higher than the average of 45 species since 1990. No new species were added to the overall list. 2,308 individual birds were counted throughout the day, following the recent 5-year trend. The “best” bird of the day was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, only counted once before for High Park’s CBC!
Four species had higher counts than any CBC since 1990: Bald Eagles (3, previous high of 2 in 2016), Eastern Screech-Owls (5, previous high of 3 in 2015), Dark-eyed Juncos (113, previous high of 101 in 2003). Golden-crowned Kinglets also had a relatively high count, with 13 (high count of 16 from 2008, but typically less than 10 if any are counted).
With all of the ponds frozen over, the area had lower than average counts of most waterfowl – a few species in particular had lower numbers than expected. There were 3 Long-tailed Ducks counted, significantly lower than their average count of 451, but the lowest since 1990 was 5 in 2007 (however, nearly all are historically found at Sunnyside Beach where Lake Ontario was not frozen this year). No Gadwall were counted, which have been present in all but 4 years since 1990. American Tree Sparrows were also missed, present in all but 4 years since 2004.
See High Park Christmas Bird Count 2024 and previous years’ results (Excel file).
The High Park count area includes High Park and vicinity. The boundaries are Parkside Drive-Keele St. on the east, Eglinton Ave. on the north, South Kingsway-Jane St. on the west, and Lake Ontario on the south. The count is coordinated through the Toronto Ornithological Club and Birds Canada.
Find a Christmas Count group near you:
- In Ontario, on Ontario Nature.
- In Canada, on Birds Canada
