The Bradford West Gwillimbury Christmas Bird Count (CBC) takes place on Friday, Dec. 29.
Since 2001, the local count has contributed to what is considered the longest-running North American citizen science project. The data collected is used to keep track of the health of birds and to guide conservation efforts.
The Audubon Society initiated the CBC, or census, more than 120 years ago. All counts are conducted on a chosen date between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5 each year.
People across North America and other Western countries sign up with local groups to take part. The local CBC reports all its findings to Birds Canada and the information is entered in a database shared by the Audubon Society. The counts are done in a 24-kilometre-diameter circle. The Bradford count is then divided into geographical areas in that circle, with a leader in each of those areas.
Local compiler Bruce Wilson said, “There’s a combination of people who have come out year after year in BWG, and new people come to find out what it’s all about. It doesn’t matter what your skill is. We’ll pair you up with someone who has some experience. You can come out, count birds, and learn birds.”
In 2020, a snowy owl was among the counted birds.
Wilson said the best way for people to get involved is to send him an email at [email protected] and he will assign them to a team. The team leader will then contact the interested person. For those who choose to watch feeders, he can send them forms that then get returned to him.
“Some teams will go out in the dark looking for owls and others will start at dawn and go to about 4 p.m.,” he explained.
It is possible to join a team within that time period on Dec. 29, rather than going for the full day. Each team leader reports the team’s total counts to Wilson.
“The main count is set for Dec. 29, and that is the day teams will be in the field. If a bird is seen three days before or after the count date, it gets recorded as a ‘count week bird’ but is not included in the count totals,” he added.
According to birdscanada.org, “The information collected by thousands of CBC volunteer participants forms one of the world’s largest sets of wildlife survey data. The results are used by conservation biologists, environmental planners, and naturalists to assess the population trends and distribution of birds.”
It goes on to explain that on the day of the count, field counters travel and cover a portion of the count circle on their own or in a small party, counting all the birds they find. Feeder counters, on the other hand, record all the birds visiting their feeders or yards from a stationary position.
Wilson was also the compiler for the Barrie count that took place Dec. 16 this year.
“The Barrie results are still being reviewed but certainly not the typical weather. The lack of snow cover seems to have reduced the number of birds at feeders. We had about 70 people involved in the count either in the field or watching feeders,” he said.
For more information about the project, visit birdscanada.org/bird-science/christmas-bird-count.
Rosaleen Egan is a freelance journalist, storyteller, and playwright. She blogs on her website, rosiewrites.com.
