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Birders prep for Christmas count

Sharp eyes and trained ears are on the lookout for our avian friends.
Bird Counters-pelican
Ann Nightingale hopes birders will be on the lookout for their feathered friends during the annual Victoria Christmas Bird Count on Saturday.

Sharp eyes and trained ears are on the lookout for our avian friends.

The 54th edition of the Victoria Christmas Bird Count launches Saturday, where birders with spotting scopes and binoculars scan the horizon for birds of all types, including the rarer species congregating in Greater Victoria.

B次元官网网址淭his year could be an excellent year,B次元官网网址 said VCBC co-ordinator Ann Nightingale. B次元官网网址淲e have a lot of rare birds out now.B次元官网网址

Recent sightings of a flock of brown pelicans near FishermanB次元官网网址檚 Wharf and a blue-grey gnatcatcher at Swan Lake have been a source of excitement for birders in the region.

Nightingale, who counts herself as a birder as opposed to a bird watcher B次元官网网址 as you may only hear the bird without seeing it B次元官网网址 said the count is an important tool for tracking trends with an eye on conservation.

She hopes even more volunteers keep their eyes peeled for the Victoria event that boasts the most participants from more than 2,000 bird counts from across North America.

The Dec. 15 count covers a radius of more than 24 kilometres in 20 designated land zones and three water zones.

B次元官网网址淚t is the longest citizen science project going and Victoria has been doing this since 1958,B次元官网网址 Nightingale said. B次元官网网址淚t is important we look at the trends, at what is happening in Victoria so we can conserve (the birds).B次元官网网址

More than 220 birders flocked to the count in 2011 and Nightingale has her sights set on even more volunteers, like second-year counter Kim Taylor.

B次元官网网址淚 am always excited to learn, it is a great experience,B次元官网网址 said Taylor, a research technologist. B次元官网网址淚 have gotten the bug of seeing new birds. I am keeping a list of how many I see and it is fun to add to it.B次元官网网址

The longtime bird lover takes on the Albert Head Lagoon and Triangle Mountain count and looks forward to the challenge that puts her bird knowledge to the test.

B次元官网网址淭he game of figuring out who is who B次元官网网址 and what they are doing is exciting to figure out,B次元官网网址 Taylor continued. B次元官网网址淚t is the thrill of seeing some things new. It is an adventure.B次元官网网址

Other key birding areas include Clover Point, Esquimalt Lagoon and Martindale flats. Even residential backyard birdfeeders are in the sights of those who canB次元官网网址檛 make it outdoors.

Information from all bird counts is submitted to the Audubon Society and Bird Studies Canada. Nightingale, a 17-year birder, hopes to surpass the 140 species and 80,000 bird-count average.

B次元官网网址淚t is important to me because I really care about what is happening with the bird population,B次元官网网址 Nightingale said. B次元官网网址淚 am a bit of a bird evangelist and this is a great opportunity for me to share the birds with other people.B次元官网网址

For more information on the Victoria Christmas Bird Count, see naturevictoria.ca or email Nightingale at birdcount@naturevictoria.ca.

reporter@vicnews.com

 

 



Arnold Lim

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