Squamish Environment Society

Happy new year to all birds and birders!

1) January 2012 Estuary Count
2) Squamish Birders’ Website
3) Dec., 2011 Bird Count Summary
4) Recent Sightings

1) Our Squamish Estuary Monthly Bird Count will be held on Sunday, Jan. 15, starting at 8:00 a.m. Please meet at the Howe Sound Inn and Brew Pub, where we will chat a bit, and then form four groups to go out and cover the whole estuary. The count lasts about four hours, after which we will return to the Howe Sound Inn for lunch together (lunch is optional). All levels of birders are invited to participate in this activity which connects us to nature and to the wonderful wilderness that we have around Squamish.
P.S. The reason we are having this count on the third Sunday of the month is because of the Brackendale Annual Bald Eagle Count, being held on Jan.8.

Count dates for the coming year (all on Sunday):

Feb. 12, 2012 – 8:00 a.m.
Mar. 11, 2012 – 8:00 a.m.

Apr. 15, 2012 – 7:00 a.m.
May 13, 2012 – 7:00 a.m.
June 10,2012 – 7:00 a.m.
July 8, 2012 – 7:00 a.m.
Aug. 12,2012 – 7:00 a.m.
Sept. 9, 2012 – 7:00 a.m.

Oct 14, 2012 – 8:00 a.m.
Nov. 11, (or 18), – 8:00 a.m. (Nov. 11 is Remembrance Day – Should we postpone the bird count 1 week? Give me some feedback…)
Dec. 9, 2012 – 8:00 a.m.

2) Squamish Birders’ Website – http://squamishbirds.webs.com/ is a site set up by Dave Lassmann. On this site you can post photos, look at count records, and hear bird sounds! Check it out.

3) December 2011 Squamish Estuary Count Summary – Presented by Derek Sutton. Thanks, Derek. There still are no Goldeneye around, and very few Bufflehead. We wonder where they are.

A Happy New Year to all Squamish birders. Here is the count summary for December 2011, which now completes the summaries for 2011. With best wishes for a fruitful 2012 counting season.
Derek

December 2011: On a clear, calm 4 December, 7 observers counted 55 species and 1802 individual birds, both totals in the expected range for December. There was rather little of note. The Eurasian Wigeon (1) was present for the second month. An all-time high count was set for Chestnut-backed Chickadee (39). Winter high counts were observed for Hooded Merganser (9) and Spotted Towhee (67). December highs were American Dipper (3) and Western Meadowlark (3). Depressingly low counts for Common and Barrow’s Goldeneye continue, with only 21 for the former and 14 the latter. As recently as December 2005 the counts were respectively 467 and 490 before the rapid decline set in. This is one of several trends highlighted by these monthly counts now in their 22nd year. All credit to the dedicated observers who turn out monthly in all weathers to make these recordings.

4) Recent Sightings – by Chris Dale, in various locations in the estuary:

Common Murre (1)
Western Grebe (1)
Red-necked Grebe (1)
Western Meadowlarks (5)
Eurasian Wigeon (1)
Snow Goose (2)

And, one day last week we observed in our garden in the Dentville area a Sharp-shinned Hawk prey upon and capture an unsuspecting Common Towhee.