Time to count the winter birds!
Deborah Powell
The time is coming up to count the birds of Christmas and be part of North America’s longest-running citizen science project, celebrating 125 years!
A few minutes out of your day can contribute to one of the world’s largest sets of wildlife survey data. Just make a note of the maximum number of any bird species you see at your feeders or on your property at any one time and send the results to the bird count organizer in your area on your local count day.
What Christmas Bird Count (CBC) area are you in? Consult the maps on either of the following sites: www.birdscanada.org or www.audubon.org. You may also contact the local CBC organizer. The dates for upcoming CBCs are: Allumette Island/Pembroke, December 14; Quyon/Bristol/Shawville, December 20; Calumet Island and area, December 27; Fort-Coulonge and area, January 3; Breckenridge/ Dunrobin, January 4.
Counts are carried out within a 24-km diameter circle that stays the same from year to year and happen in over 2,000 localities throughout the Western Hemisphere.
In addition to feeder watchers, CBC teams will be on the roads and trails, scanning fields and forests and listening closely. Your road reports may also be valuable if you’re travelling locally. Just send information on time, location and species to the local organizer. Experienced birders are invited to form their own road teams to cover a sector of a count circle.
For more information on contacts for local bird counts, email debopow@gmail.com or call or text 819-647-8252. Local counts are organized through the Club des ornithologues de l’Outaouais (COO) and contact information is also available on their site www.coo.qc.ca.
Photo – Evening Grosbeak (Miriam Baril)
