Christmas Bird Count coming to Desbarats

Count circle includes the towns of Richards Landing, Hilton Beach and Bruce Mines as well

Supplied photo

NEWS RELEASE

KENSINGTON CONSERVANCY

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The Kensington Conservancy is hosting a Christmas Bird Count for the Desbarats area on Dec. 29. Started in 1900, the Christmas Bird Count is North America's longest-running Citizen Science project.

Counts happen in over 2,000 localities throughout the Western Hemisphere. The information collected by thousands of volunteer participants forms one of the world's largest sets of wildlife survey data.

Conservation biologists and naturalists use the results daily to assess the population trends and distribution of birds.

To participate, you can either watch your bird feeder for the day or join a group that will travel within a specific area and look for birds. Anyone can participate in this event, from experts to beginners. This is a great opportunity to increase your birding knowledge!

The count circle has a 12km radius from the Kensington Conservancy office in Desbarats. The count circle includes the towns of Richards Landing, Hilton Beach and Bruce Mines as well.

All bird sightings must be made within the count circle, therefore feeders outside of the count circle cannot be included. If you live outside of the count circle, you are still more than welcome to join a group within the circle.

If you are interested in being a feeder watcher, it is recommended that you have your bird feeder set up as soon as possible. The longer the feeder is up ahead of the count, the more likely you are to see a variety of bird species as it can take some birds a while to find your feeder.

If you are new to backyard bird feeders, a simple Google search will provide you with all the information you’ll need to know.

The Kensington Conservancy is also looking for experienced birders who are willing to lead a group for the day. Leaders should be familiar with all the bird species found here in the winter.

For more information or to sign up, please contact Carter at the Kensington Conservancy at 705-257-5199 or [email protected]. You can also visit the Kensington Conservancy website here for more information.

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