Each year people across Canada go out over the Christmas season to partake in the annual Christmas bird count.
Rob Wilson, with the Yellowhead Flyway Birding Trail Association said he and the group are hoping more people in the local region will become involved this year. He said it's an excellent way to get people back looking at nature.
"Part of it is promoting nature," he said, adding the group is "particularly concerned young people are pretty disconnected with nature in our world The Christmas bird count is a very simple way of reconnecting."
Wilson explained the bird count isn't actually done Christmas day, but is to be carried out over about a three-week span from mid-December to early January.
"The count should happen within that window," he said.
To carry out a count you establish sort of a centre spot, and then cover an area in a seven kilometre circle.
"You cover that as best you can," he said, adding the simplest way can be to "drive out in every direction."
In some cases people simply count from their cars, while others get out of their cars and walk around sloughs, or into the bush in search of birds.
One can also rely on the observations of others to expand the count. Wilson said counters often check with those they know have bird feeders out, or farmers putting grain out for livestock to give numbers of birds seen on the chosen day of the count.
Once the count is completed the information is recorded and submitted to Allan Smith who compiles the data in Saskatchewan, where it is published in The Blue Jay, the publication of Nature Saskatchewan.
However Wilson said the information should also be forwarded to Bird Studies Canada (BSC). He explained BSC takes the data and compiles it within a database including birdwatcher counts in the United States.
"So it's a huge database," he said, adding the database is available to bird researchers, meaning local counts have some added significance. " The local data becomes part of the big picture and is there for researchers."
To have local data forwarded to the BSC, counters are asked to submit five dollars per counter."The money goes to the BSC to support the database," said Wilson.
They have been doing counts in Yorkton for several years, said Wilson, adding Geoff Rushowick is organizing one again this year.
In Saltcoats, Jim and Shirley Jowsey have organized one as well.
However, Wilson said he hopes more communities will become involved. He said there has been an expression of interest from people in Esterhazy, Doug Elsasser is doing one at Togo, and one was held in Canora in 2009, but he is unaware of its status this year.
"We just want to raise awareness of this before it's time," he said, adding the count is very easy to do, and is an excellent family activity over the holiday season.
Anyone who is interested can contact Wilson at 744-8140, or Nature Saskatchewan for more information.
