Local birders to take part in 116th annual Christmas Bird Count

Like the thousands of other Christmas Bird Counts that will be taking place in the western hemisphere between December 14 and January 5, the Sault Ste. Bird enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels, even beginners, are encouraged to participate in this free citizen science event.

Scientists and bird watchers are expected to take part in this year’s annual Christmas Bird Count organized by the National Audubon Society.

Birders will meet at Jorgenson’s Restaurant at 6:30 a.m. for breakfast or 7:15 a.m. if not eating to be assigned to groups and embark into the field.

Collecting that data will be upwards of 70-plus volunteers, or Bird Counters, covering five zones on the American side of the St. Marys River and ten on the Canadian side.

Participants also reported of sightings of rare species including snowy owls (Bubo scandiacus) and a single Tennessee warbler (Oreothlypis peregrina) that was seen in Ontario, Canada.

During last year’s 115th Christmas Bird Count, a total of 2,106 species and 68,753,007 birds were counted.

The Big Oaks count will be Saturday.

The event will also be using the hashtag #ChristmasBirdCount where participants can share pictures of the birds they get to encounter during the count day.

This year’s 116th Christmas Bird Count will likely yield some very interesting and important data given the unusual weather related to the strong El Nino in the Pacific Ocean.

“We’ll invite the children out into the park, we have a little intro session, how to identify the most common birds”, Starnes said.