EDMONTON CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
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  • Home
  • Participate
  • Zone Maps
  • How to Count
  • Winter Birds
  • Send in your numbers!
  • Results #123
  • Captains Resources

How to Count and Identify the Birds

Only include the birds you see on Count day.​
Welcome citizen scientists, here's how the project works:
​
Feeder Watcher:
  • Please review  our Winter Birds    gallery to assist with identification and to find what species are expected.*
  • Note the estimated number of birds for each species seen    in the yard on Count day.    They don't have to visit a feeder. Try not to recount the same birds. For example: If you see a single Black-capped Chickadee 10 different times, it's probably only one Chickadee but if you sometimes observe 2 or 3 or more, in the yard at the same time, enter the highest number that you see at one time.   Include birds that come to your yard during the time you are watching, even if they don't visit a feeder.​​
  • *If you see something really unusual write down all the details and try to get a photo.    If it's rare, we need a form filled out. It's helpful to let your captain know ahead of the Count if you are seeing a rare bird in the days just prior to  Count day.
  • "Effort" is part of the data set. Record the total time spent    watching the   feeder(s)   on Count day. Choose a time when feeders are active and watch for at least 15 minutes. Usually a couple of hours is the maximum unless you get some new species at a different time of day.
  • ​Send   In Your Numbers   on Count day using the online form.
You may not be able to identify every bird and that's okay. The more you watch birds, the more skilled you become.  
Picture
Northern Flicker and Pileated Woodpecker by Janice Hurlburt
Bush Beaters:
  • Are   grouped and given assignments by  their zone captain. 
  • Review  our Winter Birds   gallery. Be aware  there are A, B and C lists of birds depending on   how commonly they are seen. 
  • Each group needs to assign one member to record   the group effort and the birds counted.   An experienced   eBird user  is able to use that platform   as  the group record.
The group record keeper notes:
  • Number  of  participants in the  group, how far they travelled  while counting, indicating    whether  counting on foot or by vehicle, and how much time was spent in either/each   of these. 
  • Numbers of individual birds for each species identified.   See details below on how to count flocks of birds.
  • Eagle and other large raptor sightings should  include details  of    time seen, adult/immature,   perched/flying, direction of flight.
  •  Please  record details and try to get a photo for any RARE (C list or not listed) bird.  Your captain will ask you  to fill out a rare bird report. (The form is on the Captain's Resources page.) Without good documentation, a  rare bird may not be accepted by Birds Canada for our Count. 
  • Each group leader is responsible to ensure results are sent to the zone captain. This is often through  the  ​Send   In Your Numbers   page on Count day using the online form.    Check with the captain, some may meet their groups to collect a paper  form  and some   will    accept   an  eBird  list  if you know how to email  its link.  If using an eBird list remember to note whether  walking or driving and  details for eagles and other large raptors.
How to count a flock of birds
The best technique to use when encountering a large flock of birds (waxwings for example), either flying or perched, is to count a sample of the flock and then multiply your number of birds by the number of similar size areas covered by the flock.
​In this example, we count by tens because there are too many birds to quickly count individually. The technique for doing this is to count the first ten birds in the flock, get a sense for what proportion of the flock they take up, and then extrapolate by tens through the rest of the flock.
Picture
Picture
Bohemian Waxwing Flock by Gerald Romanchuk

Banner photo: Bohemian Waxwings by Gerald Romanchuk

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