WESTLOCK - The fifth-annual Jarvie-area Christmas Bird Count goes Saturday, Jan. 2.
The epicentre for the count is the Cache Park Bat and Bird Conservancy, just across the railroad tracks in Jarvie, and the area covered is a 24-kilometre circle of the park. The south end of the circle is just north of Highway 661 near Dapp and the north end is just north of Highway 663, just past Fawcett. The east end touches Long Island Lake and the west end about where the Dapp Power Plant is located.
Linda Foster, co-ordinator and statistician for this event, said people within the circle are invited to watch for birds around their property and record the species and the numbers they have seen and either send her an e-mail ([email protected]) or phone her at 780-206-5078. She will tabulate the total number and species for her report, and will provide them for this newspaper once that has been completed. This is just a friendly, individual or family event that anyone can participate in, and it can be interesting, when you really check to see what birds you have around your home, either right in your yard, or if you take a drive around the area.
In the past, there has been a gathering at Cache Park on the day of the count to enjoy a hot dog and hot chocolate. This year, however, Foster said due to the COVID-19 restrictions, that won’t be happening.
Last year, she noted, she received reports from 41 feeder watchers and a dozen who hit the trails — the birds weren’t cooperating it seemed, as there was some wind, but the final tally was 27 species and a total of 1,187 birds.
“Count circles like we have are not everywhere, and we are lucky to have one.”
To learn more about the annual count, go to www.birdcount.org for details.
Les Dunford, TownandCountryToday.com
