’Tis the season for citizen scientists to count birds
Take part in North America’s longest-running citizen science project by joining one of six Christmas Bird Counts at various locations on Vancouver Island Saturday and Sunday.
Bird Studies Canada is hosting the events, which began in 1900. Counts take place in more than 2,000 locations in the Western Hemisphere.
The information collected forms one of the world’s largest sets of wildlife survey data. The results are compiled by Bird Studies Canada and the Audubon Society, and shared with scientists and hobbyists to assess population trends and distribution of birds.
Volunteers work in teams, counting all the birds they can find on a single day within a 24kilometre-diametre region that stays the same from year to year.
This weekend, there are counts in six such areas on Vancouver Island: Victoria, Sidney-South Salt Spring, Pender Island, GalianoNorth Salt Spring, Nanoose Bay and Comox. Other counts take place until Jan. 5.
Victoria has one of the largest Christmas Bird Count teams in North America.
They are organized, usually as group efforts, at the local level, often by a birding club or naturalist organization.
The bird count is free to join. The Victoria bird count takes place on Saturday in an area centred around the Marigold neighbourhood. To join, contact Ann Nightingale at victoriacbc@naturevictoria.ca.
For more information on the times and locations of other bird counts, go to christmasbirdcount.ca.
• Get your children involved at the Christmas Bird Count for Kids, a family-friendly contribution to the Christmas Bird Count, at Beckwith Park on Saturday.
At the event, hosted by the Rocky Point Bird Observatory, children can learn about local bird species and contribute to citizen science under the guidance of experienced birdwatchers — no birding experience necessary.
Make sure your young ones wear sturdy footwear and weather-appropriate clothing, as the activity takes place outdoors.
The event is free to join. It runs 1 to 3 p.m. at Beckwith Park, 857 Beckwith Ave. For more information, go to rpbo.org or Facebook.