Christmas Bird Count
Black-capped chickadee by Jack Waller
2023 Christmas Bird Counts Across Alberta
The Christmas Bird Count started in 1900 and is the longest running Citizen Science project in North America. Christmas Bird Counts are conducted on a single day between Dec 14 and Jan 5 within a 24 km diameter circle. Many are organized by Nature Alberta Member Clubs! Count birds in your local count circle to contribute data. Results are used to assess population and distribution trends of birds.
You can participate as a feeder watcher, from the comfort and warmth of your own home, or as a bush beater and owl prowler by coordinating efforts with others in your circle to go for a walk to count birds in the field.
Participating in the Christmas Bird Count
Get comfy in the warmth of your own home and count birds in your yard for at least 15 minutes. Count all birds that you can confidently identify. It is important to note that 1 bird could return to your yard to feed several times during your count. It is therefore best to count the highest number of birds of 1 species that you see at one time in your yard and at your feeders. This will help prevent recounting that 1 chickadee that visited your feeders 10 times in one morning. Record the total time you spent counting birds. Report your time, species list and numbers to your count coordinator.
Get dressed up in your warmest gear to head out for a couple hours or more of birding on foot. Bush beater volunteers coordinate efforts to ensure one area is not being double counted by two groups. You will count all birds you can confidently identify plus the number of people in your group, how far you travelled in a vehicle and on foot, and how long you counted birds for. Report these numbers plus your species list and numbers to your count coordinator.
Owl prowlers are a special kind of winter birder. They work in the dark from midnight to dawn, and from sunset to midnight on bird count day. Their objective is to locate and count owls that are hard to find in the daytime. Owl calls are played from ‘ghetto blasters’ or more refined digital speakers for a few minutes at forested areas such as in river valleys and woodlots. The speakers from cell phones are not loud enough and need to be supplemented with a blue-tooth speaker. Owl calls should start with smaller species, Saw-whet followed by the larger owls, Great Horned and Barred. A Boreal call could be added in the middle by any optimists. The length of playback need be only 30 seconds with a 3-minute wait for a response. If you are owl prowling be sure to let the relevant zone captains know. Too many owl prowlers could result in playback calls being mistaken for a real owl! You will report the number of each species of owls, time spent counting, and distance travelled on foot and in the vehicle.
A rare bird form (request form from count coordinator) needs to be filled out if a rare bird is observed whether its in your yard, on the trail, or beside that owl at midnight. If possible, get a picture of the bird. Record the distinguishing features you used to identify the rare bird and how you ruled out similar species that are more common to the area. This will need to be submitted with the count results for the rare bird to be counted by Birds Canada.
First, count a small sample of the flock to get a sense of what 10 birds look like. Then use this proportion of the flock to extrapolate by tens to count the rest of the flock. If it is a flock with hundreds or thousands, this method can be scaled up to count 100 birds and then begin counting by 100s once you have a sense of what proportion of the flock 100 takes up.
Connect with Your Count Coordinator
- Athabasca - Contact: birdcount@crookedcreek.land (Ursula Brant)
- Beaverlodge - 2023-12-17 - Contact: kerrje@hotmail.com (Joan Kerr)
- Cold Lake - Contact: Tedhindmarch@gmail.com (Ted Hindmarch)
- Dunstable - Contact: jaegergeorge@gmail.com
- Fort McMurray - Contact: cgodwin@owlmoon.ca (Christine Godwin)
- Fort Smith - Contact: sharon.irwin@pc.gc.ca
- Garden River inactive
- Grande Cache - Contact Karen Stroebel by email at stroebel@telusplanet.net, call or text 780-827-6205 or message Mountain Blooms in Grande Cache's Facebook Page.
- Grande Prairie - 2023-12-16 - Contact: kerrje@hotmail.com (Joan E. Kerr)
- Jarvie - Contact: lindafoster66@hotmail.com
- Kimiwan-McLennan -Contact: mlessard55@hotmail.ca(Marion Lessard)
- Lac La Biche - Contact: laclabichebirdingsociety@yahoo.ca (Jennifer Okrainec)
- Opal - Contact: geraldjr@telusplanet.net (Gerald Romanchuk)
- Peace River - Contact: nlebedynski@gmail.com (Nikita)
- Looking for volunteer birders to cover a few sectors that are open and there is always room for more feeder watchers
- Slave Lake - Contact: 780-849-8240 or info@lslbo.org (Patti Campsall)
- Spirit River inactive
- St. Paul
- Camrose - Contact: glen.hvenegaard@ualberta.ca (Dr. Glen Hvenegaard)
- Coyote Lake - Contact: green.javan@gmail.com (Javan Green)
- Devon-Calmar - Contact: zelicaon@telus.net (Doug Macaulay)
- Dunstable - Contact: jaegergeorge@gmail.com
- Edmonton - 2023-12-17 -
- Edmonton Nature Club: www.edmontonchristmasbirdcount.ca
- Elk Island NP - Contact: norm.cameron@elkisland.ca (Norm Cameron)
- Friends of Elk Island Society
- This count is traditionally held on Boxing Day from 8 am to 5 pm
- Click here for event poster with details to participate
- Fort Saskatchewan - Contact: ahughes49@hotmail.com (Art Hughes)
- Fort Saskatchewan Naturalist Society
- Leduc - Contact: andytait@shaw.ca (Andrew Tait)
- Millet-Wetaskiwin - Contact: andytait@shaw.ca (Andrew Tait)
- Opal - Contact: geraldjr@telusplanet.net (Gerald Romanchuk)
- Pigeon Lake-Battle Lake - Contact: andytait@shaw.ca (Andrew Tait)
- St. Albert - 2023-12-26 Contact: St.Albert.cbc@gmail.com (James Fox)
- Stony Plain
- Strathcona - Contact: kgmyre@gmail.com
- Tofield - Contact: crosland@telusplanet.net (Irene Crosland)
- Wabamun Lake - Contact: spechtal@gmail.com (Angela Specht)
- Banff-Canmore - Contact: Heather@bowvalleynaturalists.org (Heather Dempsey)
- Bow Valley Naturalists
- Instructions to register and participate are available at bowvalleynaturalists.org/get-involved/citizen-science-projects/cbc/
- Bergthal - Contact: donja@telus.net
- Blindline - Contact: donja@telus.net
- Brule - Contact: ovis@bighornwildlife.com (Beth MacCallum)
- Whisky-jack Club wjclub@telus.net
- Buffalo Lake - Contact: buffalolakenc@gmail.com
- Cochrane Wildlife Reserve - Contact: svisser@ucalgary.ca (Suzanne Visser)
- Elnora - 2023-12-17 - Contact: judy.boyd@shaw.ca (Judy Boyd)
- Red Deer River Naturalists
- Instructions for Central Alberta Counts can be accessed by clicking here.
- Greenshields - Contact: frissell4@gmail.com (Sheldon Frissell)
- Gull Lake - 2023-12-17 - Contact: judy.boyd@shaw.ca (Judy Boyd)
- Red Deer River Naturalists
- Instructions for Central Alberta Counts can be accessed by clicking here.
- Handhills -
- Hanna -
- Hinton - Contact: ovis@bighornwildlife.com (Beth MacCallum)
- Whisky-jack Club wjclub@telus.net
- Horseshoe Canyon - Contact: jody.allair@gmail.com (Jody Allair)
- Innisfail - 2023-12-17 - Contact: judy.boyd@shaw.ca (Judy Boyd)
- Red Deer River Naturalists
- Instructions for Central Alberta Counts can be accessed by clicking here.
- Jasper - 2023-12-30 Contact: volunteers@friendsofjasper.com
- Lacombe - inactive - Contact: manager@ellisbirdfarm.ca (Carolyn)
- Olds-Bowden - 2023-12-17 - Contact: judy.boyd@shaw.ca (Judy Boyd)
- Red Deer River Naturalists
- Instructions for Central Alberta Counts can be accessed by clicking here.
- Red Deer - 2023-12-17 - Contact: judy.boyd@shaw.ca (Judy Boyd)
- Red Deer River Naturalists
- Instructions for Central Alberta Counts can be accessed by clicking here.
- Red Deer River - Contact: buffalolakenc@gmail.com
- Ribstone - Contact: frissell4@gmail.com (Sheldon Frissell)
- Rocky Mountain House - Contact: chiara.feder@gov.ab.ca (Chiarastella Feder)
- Snake's Head - Contact: collistr@gmail.com (Doug Collister)
- Spruce View - 2023-12-17 - Contact: judy.boyd@shaw.ca (Judy Boyd)
- Red Deer River Naturalists
- Instructions for Central Alberta Counts can be accessed by clicking here.
- Stettler - Contact: buffalolakenc@gmail.com
- Sylvan Lake - 2023-12-17 - Contact: judy.boyd@shaw.ca (Judy Boyd)
- Red Deer River Naturalists
- Instructions for Central Alberta Counts can be accessed by clicking here.
- Vermilion - Contact: ridavies@telusplanet.net (Iris Davies)
- Viking - Contact: andytait@shaw.ca (Andrew Tait)
- Wainwright - Contact: shane.mascarin@forces.gc.ca (Shane Mascarin)
- Calgary - 2023-12-17 - Contact: Matt at CityNatureYYC@gmail.com
- All new and returning participants can register for the Calgary CBC by clicking here and completing the Google form.
- Nature Calgary
- Chestermere - Contact: Neil Denton (neil@suechick.com)
- Cochrane - Contact: kirstenepearson@gmail.com (Kirsten Pearson)
- For more information and to register, visit: sites.google.com/view/cochranecbc/join-the-count
- Fish Creek Park - Contact: jwashbrook1@gmail.com (Jim Washbrook)
- Priddis - Contact: gmckinnonbird@gmail.com (Gavin McKinnon)
- Castle Provincial Park
- Crowsnest
- Dinosaur Provincial Park - Contact: jody.allair@gmail.com (Jody Allair)
- Elkwater-Cypress Hills - Contact: chris.dodds@gov.ab.ca (Chris Dodds)
- High River - Contact: peyto601@gmail.com (Greg Wagner)
- Lethbridge - 2023-12-16 - Contact: korich@telusplanet.net (Ken Orich)
- Info to participate is available by clicking here
- Manyberries - Contact: gardner@telusplanet.net (Rob Gardner)
- Medicine Hat - 2023-12-17 - Contact: Genevieve Mathieu at the Police Point Park Nature Centre (mhip@natureline.info or 403-529-6225) before participating.
- Milk River - 2024-01-01 - Contact: korich@telusplanet.net (Ken Orich)
- Pincher Creek
- Sheep River - Contact: collistr@gmail.com (Douglas M. Collister)
- Waterton Lakes NP - 2023-12-16 - Contact: dianne.pachal@pc.gc.ca (Dianne Pachal)
- More information is available on the website here. Email wlnp-volunteer@pc.gc.ca to register
If you have additional information to add for a count circle, please email Steph at info@naturealberta.ca to have it added/updated.