acres on Big Courtin Island in Malpeque Bay as a Natural Area. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Society members also participated in Piping Plover monitoring. Robin Phillips began to research 
     
     and develop a web site for the Society. Bruce Smith led the Great Black-backed Gull egg removal project 
     
     on the Hillsborough Bridge piers to assist the terns nesting there. Ben Hoteling and Virginia MacLean 
     
     judged the exhibits at the U.P.E.I. Science Fair on behalf of the Society. 
     
    

    
     Charitable activities: in addition to those noted above, the Society contributed Audubon Field 
     
     Notes to the U.P.E.I. Library, $60 in awards to the Science Fair, and a $100 gift for land acquisition by the 
     
     Island Nature Trust. The Society completed the year with an annual balance of $ 331.02 which was 
     
     required to publish issue #154 of the Island Naturalist. The Society’s assets as of January 1, 2000 were 
     
     $ 6,886.1 1 in its various accounts with most of it in the book publishing and projects funds accounts. 
     
    
   
   
    
     ‘ THE 100TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS: by J. Dan McAskill & 
     
    
   
   
    
     Gary Schneider 
     
    
   
   
    
     In 1900, ornithologist Frank Chapman organized 27 friends in 25 locations on Christmas Day to 
     
     count birds. He and his friends combined their efforts to counter the annual holiday "side hun " where 
     
     participants competed to shoot the most birds and small animals. This controversial start yielded an event 
     
     which has continued until today when 50,000 people participate in 1,800 registered counts throughout 
     
     North America, the Caribbean, Central America and South America. The dedication of these tens of 
     
     thousands of volunteers for the last ten decades has created one of the longest running records in North 
     
     America of the overall health of our environment. 
     
    

    
     For the 29th consecutive year, teams of individuals participated in Prince Edward Island. This 
     
     yearly tradition has allowed those who choose it to spend time with both feathered friends and fellow 
     
     birders while contributing to the monitoring of North American winter bird populations. 
     
    

    
     This year, 67 participants went to the field and 20 families watched their feeders. The Montague 
     
     and Hillsborough contingents brought in an impressive 58 species on the count day. The National Park 
     
    

    
     ' also had a good day with 53 species. An additional 4 species was recorded in the Hillsborough Count, and 
     
     1 species each in the Montague and P.E.I. National Park in the three day count period (designated CP in 
     
     the table) on either side of the count day. In total, the three counts recorded 81 species on the count day, 2 
     
     additional species during the count period, and a total of 28,190 birds compared to the 71 species and 
     
     25616 birds in 1997-98 and 67 species and 22,654 birds in last year (see issue 151).. 
     
    

    
     The reports for each area are provided below. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Observations Number in Count Area 
     
     National Park Hillsborough Montague Total 
     
     Dec. 18, 1999 Dec.27. 19991 Jan. 2. 2000 
     
     Common Loon 2 2 
     
     Northern Fulmar 1 1 
     
     Great Blue Heron 1 1 2 
     
     Canada Geese 1160 719 360 2239 
     
     Mallard 20 45 68 133 
     
     Black Duck 666 2702 1794 5162 
     
     Northern Pintail 4 2 1 7 
     
     Green-winged Teal 3 5 8 
     
     Northern Shoveler 1 1 2 
     
     Ducks UID ; 16 1; 
     
     Greater Scau 
     
     Common GolZeneye 138 282 323 743 
     
    
   
   
    
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