Christmas Bird Counts underway

    From now until Jan. 5, 2008, the 108th annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is taking place in communities across Ontario. Birders from Ontario Nature’s member clubs as far north as Fort Frances, Thunder Bay and Sudbury; as far south as Point Pelee and Holiday Beach in Essex County; and as far east as Ottawa and Vankleek Hill are participating.
   
    The CBC is conducted in over 2000 localities across Canada, the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. There are 110 counts scheduled for the Ontario 2007 CBC. The CBC data is used by the Canadian Wildlife Service and other organizations to assess bird distribution, habitat use and population changes. In recent years, counts have indicated a stark drop in the number of migrating birds across Canada. Researchers suggest deforestation, global warming and urban growth are the reason for the drop in bird sightings.
 
    Conceived as a way to promote conservation by monitoring the distribution and numbers of resident and migratory birds in North America, it has evolved into one of the most valuable methods of measuring the health of our environment.
   
    Each CBC is performed within an assigned circle 24 kilometres in diameter (458 square kilometers total). Volunteers cover as much of the circle as possible within a 24 hour period on any day within the official count period. Birds may be observed and recorded from either a bird feeder site within the assigned count area or from expeditions within the designated circle. Data for each count are compiled by volunteer coordinators and submitted for analysis to Bird Studies Canada, the organization that coordinates the Christmas Bird Count in Canada.
    Ontario Nature is a not-for profit that works to protect and restore natural habitats through research, education and conservation. It connects thousands of individuals and communities with nature through various conservation groups across the province
   
    For more information, visit www.ontarionature.org.