Bird counters brave the cold

Cold weather did not stop bird enthusiasts at Elk Island National Park Wednesday.

Thirty-two volunteers participated in the annual Christmas bird count to help gather numbers on North American bird populations.

“We really appreciate people coming out in this weather,” said Gwynne Hayward, a member of the Friends of Elk Island Society and the person who will compile the numbers to submit to the National Audubon Society.

The Christmas bird count is conducted across North America and is one of the world’s most comprehensive bird population surveys. The counts are used to track the cyclical patterns of some bird species, as well as provide early indicators of potential problems.

“We know the black-capped chickadee populations are in decline across North America, and we’re trying to figure out why,” said Elk Island Park superintendent Stephen Flemming. “The early alerts are things like this.”

Unique to this year’s count at Elk Island was the sighting of a short-eared owl and 16 European starlings. While the owl is one of the most widely distributed in the world, Flemming said it’s rare for it to be seen here at this time of year.

Similarly, while European starlings are counted among the continent’s most numerous songbirds, the species normally migrates for the winter. The count, organized by the Friends of Elk Island Society, also spotted 300 snow buntings and a great horned owl among other regulars such as red poles, pine grosbeaks and chickadees.

The annual Christmas count was started in 1900 with 27 people across North America tallying 90 species. It’s one of the longest-running citizen-scientist surveys.