It is Christmas bird count time!

As they have done for more than a century, bird watchers across North America are flocking to designated areas in their neighbourhoods to count birds.The annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is the single longest running and most popular bird survey conducted almost entirely by volunteers who provide indispensable data revealing trends in bird populations throughout the Western Hemisphere. The count begins this week and continues until January 5, 2011.
This year, nearly 40 Ontario Nature member groups are leading bird counts in communities as far north as Thunder Bay, to Point Pelee in the south, and Kingston in the east. All bird counts are open to the public.
The counts are conducted over the course of a single day and volunteers are assigned specific routes within a 24-kilometre diameter circle. The data collected allow researchers and conservation organizations to study the long-term health, population numbers, and ranges of birds across North America. Armed with this information, groups like Ontario Nature can then identify threats to birds and their habitat, and determine appropriate conservation action.
Caroline Schultz, Executive Director of Ontario Nature, says “As with all citizen scientist surveys, we rely on volunteers to provide critically important information to help us in our wildlife conservation efforts. The Christmas Bird Count contributes enormously to our understanding of bird life in Ontario and elsewhere. It’s the perfect opportunity for individuals, regardless of age or expertise, to make a meaningful difference.”
The CBC started out as the Christmas Bird Census, a once popular annual hunt during which teams competed to see who could shoot the most birds and small game as a Christmas day activity. American ornithologist Frank Chapman’s suggestion, in 1900, that birds be counted instead of shot changed the course of ornithological history and set the stage for creating an extraordinary conservation tool on behalf of birds and the environment.
Today, nearly 400 Christmas Bird Counts are held in Canada – and more than 100 in Ontario alone – with some 12,000 volunteer participants. Last year, over 2,100 bird counts were conducted across the Americas.
Bird Studies Canada coordinates the count in Canada in a joint program with the National Audubon Society.Counts are open to birders of all skill levels.
For a full list of the Ontario Nature member groups that are holding bird counts and when, please visit the Nature Network on our website, www.ontarionature.org.