Bohemian waxwings in the Kamloops area in January, 2023.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Doug Giles

Every December more than a dozen bird counts happen in the Thompson-Okanagan region thanks to dedicated birders and this year the total number of birds counted is down in some regions. 

A point in a city is chosen and a 12 kilometre radius is circled and divided into a number of divisions for groups of birders to cover, tallying the number of different species and total number of birds spotted.

“In Kamloops, that point is the top of Mount Dufferin,” said Kamloops bird count compiler Glenn Dreger. “The counters are members of the Kamloops Naturalist Club, they’ll each put in anywhere from two to eight hours, we do it by walking or driving.”

The Kamloops count on Dec. 15 saw 43 people go out into 5 C temperatures on a windless day. They counted 72 different species, which is average, however the total number of birds counted was just over 8,000, a lower-than-average number and a few hundred less than last year’s count.

Dreger said one species affecting the count is Bohemian waxwings that haven’t shown up like they usually do.

“We commonly have a count of 2,000 and we had 15,” he said. “I think our mild winter meant many northern birds haven’t come south this year.”

One of the biggest bird counts every year is of Canada Geese. 

“No matter what we do we keep getting more geese, it’s one of the side effects of doing wetland enhancement," Dreger said. “Ducks, geese and birds that use wetlands are stable or increasing in numbers.”

In Kelowna, the weather was 5 C on the Dec. 14 bird count day.

According to Audubon Christmas Bird Count, 56 people participated in the count and 103 species were spotted, down from 105 last year. The total number of birds recorded were roughly 19,200, down from last year where there were roughly 19,700 bird sightings recorded.

Christmas bird counts are undertaken across North America with data compiled with the National Audubon Society.

Prior to 1900, the birds were hunted and killed to be counted now compilers only need a pair of binoculars.

The National Audubon Society in the U.S. explains the origin of the Christmas bird count this way: “Prior to the turn of the 20th century, hunters engaged in a holiday tradition known as the Christmas Side Hunt," it says on its webpage. “They would choose sides and go afield with their guns — whoever brought in the biggest pile of feathered (and furred) quarry won.”

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Ornithologist Frank M. Chapman, an officer in the newly established Audubon Society, changed that by proposing a Christmas Day bird count in 1900. He was joined by 27 others who conducted 25 bird counts in cities ranging from Ontario to California.

Going out and counting birds is more than an excuse for enthusiasts to get together. It provides invaluable data on how birds have adapted to a changing environment, both the climate and the increasing density in cities.

Dreger said he is concerned about declining bird populations.

“All we’re doing is recording the demise of birds, because birds across North America are disappearing at a mind-boggling rate as we convert regular grasslands into agriculture and housing developments,” he said.

“You put up housing and mow over the land, and all those nesting birds have lost their habitat.”

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He said numbers of insect eating birds have plummeted over the years.

“When I was young and drove to Vancouver, I’d have to stop and clean the windshield, it was splatted with bugs, but now that doesn’t happen,” he said. “We’ve done a good job getting rids of bugs and that has hurt our insect eating birds.” 

The compilation of all the bird counts won’t be posted online until later this year.

Results of past bird counts, by community, can be seen on the Audubon website here.

Birds Canada has a list of bird counts and contact information for compilers, here.

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