The 97th annual Toronto Christmas Bird Count was held Sunday, December 19th in somewhat chilly but otherwise benign weather for early winter, with limited snow but icy conditions, and cloudy skies that opened up in the afternoon for our 114 counters and 10 feeder watching teams. The overall volume of birds was average for the circle at 30,787 individuals, and as in 2020, many sectors reported high diversity for their areas, but generally low or average numbers overall. The final species count was similarly comparable to last year at 96. Topping the list of highlights were a Rose-breasted Grosbeak on the Toronto Islands (3rd record), a lone Turkey Vulture (3rd record), a Purple Sandpiper, and 2 Rusty Blackbirds. The east end’s celebrity Golden-crowned Sparrow was too far outside the count circle for any hope of enticement across the boundary, and our “best” bird of the day was the continuing Eurasian Green-winged Teal (or Common Teal, depending on which taxonomic authority you subscribe to) at G. Ross Lord Park. We had record high counts for 7 species: Wood Duck (22), Green-winged Teal (8 American, 1 Eurasian), Red-bellied Woodpecker (35), Merlin (8), Carolina Wren (13), White-crowned Sparrow (8), and White-throated Sparrow (147). We also tied the circle high count for Common Raven with 21 individuals - a testament to the successful re-establishment of a species which, after the first Toronto CBC record in 1951, was not recorded again on a CBC until 2013. Waterfowl were well-represented with 24 species plus a hybrid, but were fairly dispersed due to the extensive open water. Mallard numbers were noticeably down with only 1845 counted, our lowest total since 1990. White-winged gull numbers were also down, perhaps unsurprisingly given the delayed onset of colder temperatures and the lack of ice to encourage them to loaf, with only a single Iceland Gull recorded and no Glaucous Gulls. Cedar Waxwing, a species that has become somewhat erratic in occurrence in recent years, was another miss. Many thanks to everyone who counted and the Toronto Ornithological Club Records Committee (Mark Field, Garth Riley, Emily Rondel, Howard Shapiro, and Ivor Williams) for helping with logistics and compiling, and to Joanne Brathwaite, Kelly-Sue O’Connor, and Emily Rondel for hosting our first ever virtual CBC roundup! Good birding! Amanda Guercio TOC Records Councillor