CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS ON THE ISLAND - 30TH ANNIVERSARY: by J. Dan McAskill & 
     
     Ruth Richman 
     
    
   
   
    
     First started in 1900 by omithologist Frank Chapman and 27 friends, Island birders took to the fields and 
     
     their feeder observation sites for the 30th consecutive year to participate in the Christmas Bird Counts. The Island 
     
     counters combined their efforts with approximately 50,000 others who participate in some 1,800 registered counts 
     
     throughout North America, the Caribbean, Central America and South America. Their combined efforts over the 
     
     past 101 years have created one of the longest running records in North America of the overall health of our 
     
     environment. Now this data base is accessible on line, simply go to www.birdsource.org and click your way to the 
     
     results. 
     
    

    
     Christmas Bird counting is an annual tradition for many birders. It allows 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. On Prince Edward Island’s CBCs this winter, 43 participants went to the field (some participated 
     
     in two counts and 1 in all three) and 23 families watched their feeders. The three count circles are shown below. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Christmas Bird Count Areas . 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     National 
     
    
   
   
    
           
     
    
   
   
    
     Hillsborough 
     
    
   
   
    
     The first of the National Park bird counters was in the count area on December 16‘“, the designated 
     
     counting day, just after 5 am to try for owls using a tape recorder and owl call tape to evoke responses. While Eric 
     
     Marcum had no luck in the areas he played the owl tape, Ron Arvidson, Bonnie McOrmand and Jean Blanchard 
     
     seen an owl briefly. While the flight pattern was the bat like floating of the of the Short-cared Owl, the look was 
     
     too fleeting for confirmation. The day was quite pleasant and bird sightings came quite quickly to the various 
     
     teams. The highlights of the day were a Gyrfalcon, 4 Northern Harriers, and a Great Blue Heron. The excellent 
     
     crops of mountain ash and rose hips caused American Robin to stay on the Island and counters seen 439‘. Gull 
     
     sightings and some waterfowl counts were down but the day concluded with a very respectable 54 species for this 
     
     count area. Many counters concluded their count day at the potluck hosted by Jesse Francis and Maurice Roy of 
     
     the Canadian Parks Service at the Dalvay Interpretive Centre. 
     
    

    
     The weather forecast for the Hillsborough count was ominous. Consideration was given to canceling the 
     
     count based on the forecast and the weather late on the evening before the count but a check at 530 am revealed 
     
    
   
   
    
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