ST. PAUL - The 32nd Town and County of St. Paul Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is set to run from Dec. 13 to Jan. 3.
For those who are considering participating for the first time, it is a very friendly event to participate in and people of all ages are welcome. You can participate as an individual, with others, or as a family. Furthermore, you can do this for as many hours and days as you wish.
The objective is to count the number of birds by species you see during your observations and report them to the contacts given below as soon as you conclude your participation, or no later than Jan. 3. Reporting should also include which observations were done in the Town of St. Paul and which were observed in the County of St. Paul.
When the CBC ends - or when you have completed your observations - you can submit your reports by any of the following: e-mail – [email protected] (please note that it is hawkowl and 4), or by phone to 780-645-3409, between 1 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Please leave a message if there is no answer.
If you have any questions about the bird count, use the same contacts.
The information gathered during the count is shared with Bird Studies Canada and the Audubon Society.
This year we are also very interested in gathering information about the population of the Evening Grosbeak. About 15 years ago a mite infestation flared among this species and their numbers dropped drastically.
They are gradually making a comeback and the information from our count will tell us how well they are doing in our area.
Also, we are tracking the spread of the Eurasian Collared Dove. This bird is very new to this area, arriving in our district about four years ago. They are commonly observed in town but this summer a number were observed in different areas of the county.
The Eurasian Collared-Dove is obviously very hardy, given that it arrived in Florida from the Caribbean only about 20 years ago and now they are growing in numbers in the prairie provinces. Once they arrive, they do not migrate back to warmer climates for the winter.
Birds do change their natural habitats. When this annual count first started, ravens were not living in the area, one would have to go to Cold Lake or Lac La Biche to see them. Need I say more about ravens?
