Dorothy Westerman
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 13/06) - It was an odd duck that would be spending New Year's in Yellowknife, but that is exactly what was spotted during the annual bird count January 2.

Birds counted in the annual Yellowknife bird count: bufflehead duck - 1 spruce grouse - 2 willow ptarmigan - 44 gray jay - 18 black billed magpie - 13 common raven - 1,218 boreal chickadee - 13 white winged crossbill - 13 common redpoll - 23 hoary redpoll - 3 redpoll sp. - 16 house sparrow - 201 * Total individuals counted - 1,565 * Total species reported - 14 - list compiled by Robert Bromley, sponsor Ecology North

Vicky Johnston of Ecology North, said one of the highlights of the Yellowknife count was a lone bufflehead duck seen at the Yellowknife River.

"They are here normally during breeding season, but they should have migrated months ago," Johnston said.

Buffleheads are common from about May to September, she said.

Johnston said all areas in a 16-km radius of Yellowknife were covered during the count by 13 bird watchers.

Another unusual sighting was a pileated woodpecker near a cabin on the northeast shore of River Lake, off the Ingraham Trail.

"That is a rare bird sighting for here. They are common in the Fort Liard or Fort Simpson area, but not this far north," Johnston said.

In total, Johnston said 14 species of birds were sighted.

"It was a fairly average year," she said.

As for the highest count, the common raven topped the list at 1,218 sightings.

"We are the raven capital of North America," Johnston laughed.

Each year, Johnston said house sparrows and boreal chickadees are a common find, while willow ptarmigan and redpolls are also spotted frequently.

Bohemian waxwings and hairy woodpeckers are also common in the area, she added.

The Yellowknife bird count sponsored by Ecology North has been ongoing since 1984. The count has been conducted across North America since 1900, Johnston said.

"The purpose is to track changes in distribution of species and also track changes in abundance of common species," she said.

Data accumulated from the count will be added to the Audubon Society database which will then be used to determine continental patterns of distribution and abundance.

Johnston believes climate change does and will affect distribution of species in the Yellowknife area.

"We are seeing it most in the arrival date for birds in the spring. Many birds are coming days or weeks earlier than they did 20 years ago," she said.