Prince Edward Island Christmas Bird Count

American Goldfinch

Black-capped Chickadee

Years ago it was a Christmas tradition to have what was called a “Side Hunt”.  That was a competition to go out and shoot as many birds as possible. In 1900, that tradition changed when American ornithologist Frank Chapman asked fellow birders to go out and take a census of birds and submit their results. This year, the 114^th Christmas Bird Count will sent thousands of birders into the field to record their sightings in over 2300 Count Circles

Blue Jay

Downy Woodpecker 

In Prince Edward Island there are four Count Circles. Each circle is twenty-four kilometers in diameter and stays the same location yearly. Observers, generally in groups or teams, count birds within the circle and collect critical information to provide the distribution and numbers of birds in our province.

Common Merganser and Common Goldeneye 

The four Christmas Bird Counts taking place on Prince Edward Island are:

East Point (Sunday, Dec. 14),

PEI National Park (Saturday, Dec. 20),

Hillsborough (Saturday, Dec. 27)

Montague (Sunday, Dec. 28). 

These counts are always fun; and a time to enjoy the birds and get outside. If you would like to participate in a Count near you see a link below. (If you have a feeder within the Count Circle you can also report your sightings.) See the link below to find a Count Circle. 

http://www.bsc-eoc.org/volunteer/cbc/index.jsp?targetpg=compilers&lang=EN 

The dates and count coordinators for PEI are as follows:

Dec. 14th (Sunday) - The East Point Christmas Bird Count. Please contact Dwaine Oakley at 393-6223 or dwayne.oakley@gmail.com for details and to register. The date may change in the advent of severe weather, so please contact your coordinator.

Dec. 20th (Saturday) - The Prince Edward Island National Park Christmas Bird Count - Please contact Dan McAskill at 569-4351 or E-mail at jdmcaskill@pei.sympatico.ca for information or to register. The date may change in the advent of severe weather, so please contact your coordinator.

Dec. 27th (Saturday) - The Hillsborough Christmas Bird Count. There will be a pot-luck after the event for participants at 6 PM. Please contact Dan McAskill at 569-4351 or E-mail at jdmcaskill@pei.sympatico.ca for information or to register. The date may change in the advent of severe weather, so please contact your coordinator.

Dec. 28th (Sunday) - The Montague Christmas Bird Count. Please contact Scott Sinclair via E-mail at scsinclair@pei.sympatico.ca for information or to register. The date may change in the advent of severe weather, so please contact your coordinator.