The 20th Holiday Beach CBC took place yesterday under unseasonably warm weather w/ temperatures ranging from 9C in the morning to 13C in the afternoon. The sky was sunny all day and winds were moderate 20-27km/hr SW. Mild temperatures meant that waterfowl were in high number due to having the Holiday Beach marsh, Big Creek, and surrounding creeks and ponds open as well as Lake Erie and the Detroit River. Significant counts of several dabbling ducks were made and SW winds encouraged a decent movement of waterfowl on Lake Erie as well. Volunteers ended up finding a record breaking 90 species this year, breaking the record of 88 set at last year’s count. Highlights for the day included several Cackling Geese, 2 Wood Ducks, 1 White-winged Scoter (difficult on this count), 1 Long-tailed Duck, 1 Iceland Gull, 1 Northern Saw-whet Owl, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 1 Northern Mockingbird, 1 Eastern Towhee, 1 Common Yellowthroat, and good counts of several passerines including Golden-crowned Kinglets and White-throated Sparrows. Numbers still have to be entered from a few participants but early data shows that several record high counts were made. Many thanks to all the dedicated Area Leaders and volunteers for another excellent count and to Kory and Sarah Renaud for hosting another great roundup. Jeremy Hatt Sent from my iPhone