Friday, February 7th, 2025

This holiday season, you can help our feathered friends by joining a Christmas Bird Count. These day-long, volunteer-run bird surveys are organized locally by naturalist groups. They are free and open to everyone, regardless of age or skill level.

This year’s counts will run from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5. Ontario Nature member groups are coordinating more than 70 counts.

The Christmas Bird Count is North America’s longest-running citizen science project and a crucial part of Canada’s biodiversity monitoring database. Every volunteer who takes part in a count contributes to the study and conservation of birds. Scientists use these data to monitor the status of resident and migratory birds across the Western Hemisphere.

“The Christmas Bird Count is a fun tradition with an important goal – bird study and conservation,” says Anne Bell, director of conservation and education at Ontario Nature. “It’s great to see expert and novice birders working together to spot as many species as possible, regardless of the weather.”

Last year, nearly 4,100 Ontarians participated in 114 Christmas Bird Counts. They recorded an astonishing 178 species and 1,394,498 individual birds.

Visit the Ontario Nature at www.ontarionature.org/cbc and Bird Studies Canada at www.bsc-eoc.org/volunteer/cbc, to find a count near you.

Photo: Snow bunting by Donna Dewhurst c/o Ontario Nature

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