The annual Banff-Canmore Christmas Bird Count (CBC) organized by the Bow Valley Naturalists will take place on Saturday (Dec. 14).
This will be the 39th consecutive year for this event.
Last year, 60 participants enjoyed a fine winter day looking for birds in our part of the Bow Valley. However, as has been learned in the past, reasonably good conditions do not automatically produce an abundance of birds.
After a near or above average count the year before, last year’s results were below the long-term average. The number of species seen, 40, was about 3.5 below average while the number of individual birds – 2,244 – was more than 350 below the long-term average.
CBCs are done throughout North America and in some tropical areas in Central America, northern South America, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands. The activity began well over a century ago in the U.S. as a protest of the existing Christmas tradition in which teams competed to see who could shoot the most birds and other animals in one day.
This year, more than 60,000 volunteers are expected to be involved in over 2,000 locations. Results from these counts may be used to help track bird populations as they respond to global climate change.
Standard procedure for CBCs requires that counting be done during one 24-hour period within a designated circle 24 kilometres in diameter. The Banff-Canmore count circle has its centre on the Bow River below Mt. Rundle so as to include the Town of Banff west to Vermilion Lakes, and the Town of Canmore east to the Trans-Canada/Highway 1A interchange.
This massive, international volunteer ornithological effort is coordinated by the National Audubon Society and Bird Studies Canada (BSC). As was the case for the first time last year, participants no longer are required to pay a fee to help cover costs for the massive task of compilation although donations are welcomed by BSC. After count results have been submitted, they may be viewed at: www.audubon.org/bird/cbc or www.bsc-eoc.org
The Banff-Canmore count will be followed by a potluck supper at the Banff Seniors Centre, where results will be compiled and stories exchanged about the day’s activities.
For more information or to find out how to take part, in Banff contact Mike or Diane McIvor at 403-762-4160 or Heather Dempsey at 403-762-3056; in Canmore contact Colleen Campbell at 403-678-2051.
