Counting on a Christmas tradition

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This article was published 29/12/2021 (1730 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRANDON — Eagle-eyed bird watchers had a fruitful time recording species for two Christmas bird counts in western Manitoba.

The Westman Naturalists had its annual Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 19. Gillian Richards, the organizer for the Brandon Christmas Bird Count, said they counted 39 species around Brandon and even with COVID-19 restrictions, they had plenty of participants.

“We average about 36.3 species, so we are above average for birds this year,” she said. “We still have some sightings to confirm before we record them.”

The reason for the bird count is to track migrations and record where species are being spotted. This is a chance for people to get involved in scientific research, while enjoying the outdoors and learning about nature.

There were many highlights for those who participated. A great-horned owl was spotted at the Riverbank Discovery Centre. Another perk included seven mallard ducks and two Canada geese. There were also several white-throated sparrows and a pair of rough-legged hawks.

The hawks, Richards said, were another unusual sighting, as they should be further south this time of year.

“They breed in the Arctic in the summer, and they do fly through here, but shouldn’t still be here,” she said. “Interesting to see them still here. Whether it’s climate change, or something else, we don’t know.”

There were a lot of people eager to participate, despite COVID-19 restrictions and weather turning frigid later in the day.

“The weather wasn’t too bad. We’ve had to do this in -35 C.”

This runs in conjunction with the Manitoba Christmas Bird Count and the Audubon Society’s International Christmas Bird count covering most of North America. The annual tradition started in the United States more than 100 years ago and moved north to cover Canada.

Most people join the bird count as much for the social aspect as they do to enjoy nature, Richards said. Participants were given paperwork to record what species they see and how many. Some people did head out on foot with GPS maps to designated search zones to walk around and look for birds, recording them on apps and writing them down. However, due to COVID restrictions, they were asking more homeowners to watch bird feeders in their own yards and document the species that appeared.

“It was probably not as much fun this year for some people who liked to go out in groups, but it is good it is still running.”

On Dec. 15, Friends of Riding Mountain National Park held its own Christmas bird count. According to official records, 31 species and four woodpeckers of unknown species were noted, totalling 1,415 total bird sightings.

Thirty-four participants were out on foot, driving, skiing, snowshoeing or watching bird feeders.

George Hartlen, the chief administrative officer of the Friends group, said they didn’t have an unusual bird sightings. However, there were sightings of two Bohemian waxwings, one cedar waxwing, one golden-crowned kinglet, two brown creepers and five wild turkeys, which are uncommon to see this time of year.

Westman birders will get another chance to count species in the new year. The Rivers Bird Count is relaunching and seeking volunteers.

To get involved, contact westman.naturalists@gmail.com.

— Brandon Sun