The annual Christmas Bird Count in the 100 Mile House area went off fairly well despite a bit of a hitch, with its organizer, Barry Bolton, now living in Victoria.
Tom Godin, a regular bird watcher, enthusiast and participant in the national bird count, says the counting group was excited to catch sight of a dozen Eurasian collared doves this year, a new species for the local event.
Active participants were down to six for count week, and four for count day (compared to eight counting last year), mostly due to difficulties with Bolton coordinating as best he could from his new home.
However, the week-long event involves any bird watchers sending in whatever species they find anywhere in the community, usually at backyard feeders and trees, but not counting them.
The middle day – Wednesday – is the actual count day, and limited to whatever trails they can traipse and birds they can spot within a 24-kilometer circle, he explains.
Count week this year ran from Dec. 25-31, with count day on Dec. 28.
"We counted 21 species on count day and 29 species for count week."
Count day birds and quantities are:
• common raven-285
• American crow-150
• Eurasian collared dove-24
• black-capped chickadee-18
• bohemian waxwing-17
• American goldfinch-14
• mountain chickadee-10
• hairy woodpecker-10
• northern flicker-8
• bald eagle-7
• red-breasted nuthatch-6
• pileated woodpecker-6
• red crossbill-5
• gray jay-5
• Steller's jay-4
• ruffed grouse-2
• song sparrow-1
• red-tailed hawk-1
• house sparrow-1
• downy woodpecker-1
The additional species during count week were great grey owl, northern pygmy owl, rock dove, golden-crowned kinglet, brown creeper, red-winged blackbird and European starling, northern shrike.
Their best count day yet was Jan. 2, 2012 with 31 species counted by 11 people, Godin says, adding his own sense this year was that "seed-eaters were way down."
"My third New Year's resolution is to organize the 100 Mile Christmas Bird Count for next year, so I am on that."
The next Christmas Bird Count Day will be Dec. 30, 2017, or send in your bird species sightings made during the same week.
E-mail Tom at birding@bcinternet.net for details, or learn more online at www.birdscanada.org/volunteer/cbc.