Eagle-eyed bird watchers prepare to gaze skyward
Annual Christmas Bird Counts are being conducted in Truro and Tatamagouche
It was a particular moment that inspired Trish Rubin’s interest in birding, and now there’s a clear enthusiasm.
“ ere was one magic moment, in Port George, when a ock of purples sandpipers came in and circled around,” she said. “It was the moment that turned on the light.”
She and her husband, John, moved to Tatamagouche, and they’ve been organizing the Christmas Bird Count in the community for ve years.
This winter, bird counts are planned for Dec. 29 in Truro and Jan. 5 in Tatamagouche.
John developed an interest in birds while working as a forest technician. He would mark trees with orange ribbon, but when he returned he often found birds had taken it for nesting material.
“Their behaviour is fascinating,” he said. “ ey’re colourful, entertaining and very interesting.
“Every year we see one or two things we don’t expect during the Christmas Bird Count. An American bittern was spotted, and that’s not something you expect in the winter, because it’s a heron-like bird that eats things like frogs.
“ ere are a lot of hawks here; we saw 18 last year.”
With both eld observers and feeder watchers on the lookout, about 50 species were seen last year.
Ross Hall has taken part in the Truro Christmas Bird Count since the rst, in 1990.
“It’s interesting to look at the trends,” said the retired wildlife biologist, who lives in Bible Hill. “ e numbers of northern cardin- als have increased. When we rst started we’d never see any. We see more mourning doves, and they were quite rare at the start. ere used to be a lot of grey, or Hungarian partridge, and they’ve pretty well disappeared.”
Numbers of evening grosbeaks had declined in recent years, but Hall has heard reports of them being spotted during the fall, so he’s interested in seeing how many they spot during the count.
“Counts are done in big circles, with a 15-mile diameter,” he explained. “ e centre of our count is Lower Truro.
“Field observers are assigned an area, and we have feeder watchers, too. About two dozen take part.”
Field observers are out from daybreak until around 4:30 or 5 p.m.
Hall noted some years it’s been very cold, but people dress for the weather and take breaks in their vehicles to warm up.
“It’s interesting to go to the same spot and see what’s there, and sometimes you’re rewarded with an unusual species,” he said.
For Trish Rubin, seeing gray jays – also called Canada jays – is the highlight of a count.
“They’re friendly, hardy, not showy and don’t migrate,” she said. “ere were e orts to have them named Canada’s national bird, and they have wonderful characteristics.”
More information on the local bird counts can be obtained by contacting Ross Hall at
ross.hall@ns.sympatico.ca or John Rubin at 902-657-0452 or jtrubin@seasidehighspeed.com.
More information on the counts, including a list of all counts in the province, can be found on the Nova Scotia Bird Society website at
https://www.nsbirdsociety.ca/community/volunteer/christmas-bird-counts