participated in some 1,800 registered counts throughout North America, the Caribbean, Central America and South America. The entire data base is accessible on line through www.audubon.org and click your way to the results under birds and science.

Based on the participant’s comments, the counters on the Island enjoyed the outings. Arja Page fired up the wood stove at the Dalvay interpretive centre so the rather wet participants could enjoy the pot luck around the fire. Fiep de Bie and Hans Gelens hosted the Hillsborough pot-luck. Both pot lucks were well attended and, based on their comments, enjoyed by those present. For the fourth year, Vernon Laux organized a fourth Island count encompassing the area from off East Point to the eastern outskirts of Souris. Unfortunately, the results for the East Point Count were not available at the time of publication. Gary Schneider and Ruth Richman organized the Montague Count while Dan McAskill coordinated the RBI. National Park and Hillsborough counts.

During this year’s CBCs on the Island, owl surveys were conducted in the East Point and P.E.I. National Park counts. Most coastal waters were open but there were variable levels of ice in fresh water ponds and some bays. There were certainly some memorable sightings during the four count periods and counts days with a Mew Gull, Black-headed Gulls, Bonaparte’s Gulls, a Northern Cardinal, hundreds of American Robins, and a Rose- breasted Grosbeak. Rather than the huge numbers of redpoll and siskin seen on the 2003-04 counts on P.E.I., scarcity was the norm. However, there were large numbers of American Goldfinch as well as huge numbers of American Robin were seen with 740 on the Montague Count and 417 on the Hillsborough counts.

The reports for the three CBCs for which we have numbers are provided below.

OBSERVATIONS NUMBERS OBSERVED

National Park Total

Dec. 19 2004 Jan. 3 2005 Jan. 2005 18 -Jan. 3 Red-throated Loon 1 1 Northern Gannet 1 1 Double-crested Cormorant 2 Cormorant Great Blue Heron Canada Geese Gadwell American Black Duck Mallard Northern Pintall American UID Duck Greater

Common Eider

Surf Scoter

Black Scoter Duck

Common Barrow's Hooded Common Red-breasted Bald

Northern Harrier