The 2020 Toronto Christmas Bird Count was held Sunday, December 20th in a highly modified, socially distanced manner. We had overcast skies for most of the day, with mist and light drizzle in the morning making for slippery, muddy, but overall mild conditions for our 118 counters and 12 feeder watching teams. While an average to low number of birds were noted overall (30,039), many sectors reported very high species diversity, with several breaking their area records, and this was reflected in an excellent overall count of 95 species. The bird of the day was the adult Slaty-backed Gull seen at Sunnyside Beach that has been roaming the west end of the count circle since October, a first for the count and only the second ever for the city of Toronto. Other unusual sightings included an American Woodcock at James Gardens (last seen in 2003), a Palm Warbler near Ontario Place (recorded on only 2 previous counts), a Purple Sandpiper at Tommy Thompson Park (5th record), and rare within the count circle, a trio of Wild Turkeys (5th record). The previous high count of 50 Trumpeter Swans set in 2019 was smashed for a total of 102 birds this year, with 81 birds visible from a single vantage point at Tommy Thompson Park. A new record was also set for Orange-crowned Warbler (6, with single birds seen on 5 other counts), perhaps not too unexpected given the milder temperatures and number of individuals being seen throughout the month. Northern Shrike (seen in 63 previous years) was a notable miss, and after a spectacular fall for irruptive northern finches, their mass exodus from the count circle over the last month was apparent. No Pine Siskins, Purple Finches, Red Crossbills, or Evening Grosbeaks were detected on the count, and only one White-winged Crossbill was found. Areas with stands of black alder are still holding flocks of Common Redpolls, however, and 197 were counted, including 2 Hoary. Our honorary winter finch, the Red-breasted Nuthatch, also made a strong showing with 208, toppling the previous record of 118 in 2018. Many thanks to everyone who counted and the Toronto Ornithological Club Records Committee (Emily Rondel, Ivor Williams, Garth Riley, Howard Shapiro, and Mark Field) for helping with logistics and compiling. Amanda Guercio Toronto Ornithological Club Records Councillor