Started in 1900, the annual Christmas Bird Count is North America’s longest-running Citizen Science project.

The count focuses on the winter bird population, which is quite different from summer, as many birds leave our area for warmer climes and other species arrive from the far north.

The information collected by thousands of volunteer participants forms one of the world’s largest sets of wildlife survey data and is used daily by biologists to assess population trends and distribution of birds.  The results of all counts are submitted to the Audubon/Bird Studies Canada databases and collated for all of North America.

Each Christmas Bird Count is completed within a previously established 24 km diameter area on a single day.  The Invermere area count will be held this year on Saturday, Dec. 16.  We invite all interested people (new and experienced birders alike) to participate in this year’s count.

If you are interested in joining us for a day to count our feathered friends in the Invermere area, please contact the person shown below, bring your binoculars, camera or just yourself, and we will do our best to match you with a group of experienced birders for the outing.

At the end of the day on Saturday, birders gather for an optional potluck dinner to get to know one another better, and exchange notes about the day.

Another way to participate is to observe and count the birds at your feeder.  For details, contact the coordinator shown below before the day of the count.

Please note that your location has to be within the count circle (12km radius from Wilmer).

Christmas Bird Count Coordinator for the Invermere area: Gareth Thomson – email: [email protected]

Lead image: Rachel Darvill, the Columbia Wetlands Waterbird Survey (CWWS) program biologist, coaches nearly frost-bitten citizen scientists on survey techniques at Wilmer wetlands. Pat Morrow photo

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