Christmas Bird Count At Fundy

Bird enthusiasts will gather at Fundy National Park on Friday for the annual Christmas bird count.

It’s the 55th year for the event.

Resource Management Officer Neil Vinson says it’s important to see what birds are here during the winter, and by following the numbers every year, we can see which species are prevalent and which are declining.

“These counts are not just happening in Fundy. They are happening across the province and across the country, the continent, the world. It becomes a really robust data set especially when it’s been collected as long as this one has,” Vinson said.

Vinson says they are seeing fewer Canada jays and boreal chickadees, which are moving further north.

He says the weather conditions on the day of the count affect the people counting more than the birds themselves.

“The birds are much more comfortable in the elements whether it’s raining or snowing, a bird still has to be a bird. We can choose whether we go outside or not, they don’t have a choice. They are out there regardless,” Vinson said.

Teams get a trail or campground in the park where they note the number of birds, food sources like berries and mammal tracks.

The count takes place within a 24-kilometre circle centred on Kinnie Brook.

Vinson says if people plan to attend they would ask them to register.

“So we can get an idea of how many people are coming. If there are novice birders, we’ll pair them up with someone more experienced or if they are more experienced we will give them a route of their own. We will remind people that it is BYOB – bring your own binoculars,” Vinson said.

He says all data collected will be submitted to Bird Studies Canada.