– 309 species –

By Cameron Chevalier

2023 proved to be a truly unprecedented year for birding in Essex County. The 309 species recorded in the county represent the highest total for any single Canadian county in a year (per eBird data). In the process, Essex added a staggering 5 species to its checklist (Willow Ptarmigan, Glaucous-winged Gull, White-winged Tern, Ferruginous Hawk, and Cassin’s Kingbird), with one additional species added to the Point Pelee Birding Area Checklist
(Limpkin). The previous record (both county and provincial) of 304 species was set in 2022. Almost 24,000 checklists were submitted to eBird this year for Essex, along with over 20,000 photos and over 250 audio recordings.

The names of 105 unique observers appear in this summary, though dozens of other birders also made significant contributions to the 2023 list (see also the eBird Top 100 for species and checklists).

To keep this report succinct, not all notable records of the year are given complete documentation below. There are known records pending a decision by the Essex eBird Regional Review team or Ontario Bird Records Committee (OBRC) which could increase the year total. The complete checklist of all accepted species observed in the county, with early and late dates and high counts for all notable species, can be found HERE and is also linked at the end.

It must be noted that this summary is constructed almost exclusively from eBird data. If you have information or documentation pertaining to records not listed that you feel belong in this Summary, please contact me at or message me privately on Discord (User: Cameronkeith) from the Ontario Bird Alert or OFO servers.

FULL CHECKLIST, INCLUDING ALL OTHER RECORDS, IN THE SHEET BELOW:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1S_s3Mi3mBtyWRS9WmBz8L6TjkkA6EgIX1gwgG8-6q6k/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wluIDXZofxIS9PFWtIhGdR5eZbvNSl0p7qFo5zmIuoM/edit#gid=0

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
A special thank you is extended to the following individuals for their invaluable contributions to the production and release of this document and accompanying checklist: Jeremy Hatt, Michael/Steve McAllister, Donny Moore, Steve Pike, Harrison Priebe, Jacob Stasso, and Andrew/Kara/George/Edmund Wiebe.