If you have birds visiting your yard consider participating in Edmonton's Christmas Bird Count on Sunday December 15. The event is suitable for all ages and is done in the convenience of your own home. Participation is easy. Simply set aside some time on December 15 to watch your bird feeder. Your time commitment can be anywhere from 15 minutes to one or two hours. Keep track of the number and species of birds in your yard during this time. Include birds that come to your yard even if they don't visit a feeder.
When you are done counting, report your numbers on the Edmonton Christmas Bird Count Website under the "Send in Your Numbers" section Link Here. Be sure to select the applicable zone. Zone 4 includes Brookside, Brander Gardens, Ramsey Heights, Rhatigan Ridge, Bulyea Heights, Falconer Heights, Haddow, Carter Crest, Leger, Ogilvie Ridge and Hodgson (map below).
To learn more about Edmonton's Christmas Bird Count visit https://www.edmontonchristmasbirdcount.ca/
The website offers tips on "How to Count" birds that visit your feeder multiple times and how to count flocks of birds. For example: If you see a single Black-capped Chickadee 10 different times, it's probably only one Chickadee, but if you observe 2 or more in the yard at the same time, you would count the highest number that you see at one time.
The website also includes an identification gallery with photos and tips for identifying Edmonton's common winter birds. Check out the "Winter Birds" section.
The final numbers for the 2024 Christmas Bird Count will be reported on the website in January.
Consider making Edmonton's Christmas Bird Count a family tradition and most importantly, have fun!
