Several dozen RH Naturalists and friends fanned out across the Richmond Hill Circle on Saturday, December 19, to particiapte in the 110th Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC).  Fifty bird species — 5704 individuals — were obsverved and tallied over the course of the day.  The count details are shown in the table below.  The results include some good and relatively rare (for Richmond Hill) birds, including Carolina Wren, Winter Wren, Barred Owl, Northern Shoveler and Green-wing Teal.  A Ruby-Crowned Kinglet was also found, the first in 15 years.  The final results will be submitted to Bird Studies Canada, which works with the Audubon Society in the US and elsewhere to analyze the data.

Several additional species including Fox sparrow and a hybird mallard/black duck will be included as part of Count Week, a period that spans 3 days before and 3 days after the official Count Day.  Watch this space and the January 2010 RHN Bulletin for detailed results and photographs.

The Richmond Hill Naturalists were just one group among thousands participating in the Christmas Bird Count throughout the western hemisphere. The count began in 1900 as an alternative to the then-traditional practice of the Christmas Side Hunt, in which sportsmen and women signed on to teams which then went out and vied to see which team could kill the most birds and other animals in the allotted time. An officer of the fledgling Audubon Society, ornithologist Frank Chapman started the new and less lethal tradition of the Bird Census. 27 birdwatchers in 25 cities (including Toronto) participated in that first count; last year more than 50,000 counters in 19 countries from Antarctica to Alaska took part.

The RHN has been participating in the Audubon CBC for most of the club’s 53-year history.

In keeping with club tradition, CBC participants met for a hot chili dinner, a glass of wine or two and some scrumptious deserts at the end of our count day.  This year’s dinner was graciously hosted by Joe and Berthe Agg — thank you for welcoming such a large group of tired and hungry birders into your beautiful home.  The chili was delicious and the evening was delightful.

The RHN would also like to thank Wild Birds Unlimited for their ongoing support of this event.

With the 110th Annual Christmas Bird Count taking place this year on December 19, the Richmond Hill Naturalists are looking for people with bird feeders to open up their back yards for the Bird Counters. Bird Counters would visit volunteering households ONCE between 8am and 4:30pm on December 19. They will check the yard to count all the birds and bird species that may be seen there for just a few minutes – maybe longer if your yard is particularly exciting at that particular moment! You may also choose to count the birds and bird species in your yard yourself on December 19th and report your results.

The Richmond Hill Naturalists are just one group among thousands participating in the Christmas Bird Count throughout the western hemisphere. The count began in 1900 as an alternative to the then-traditional practice of the Christmas Side Hunt, in which sportsmen and women signed on to teams which then went out and vied to see which team could kill the most birds and other animals in the allotted time. An officer of the fledgling Audubon Society, ornithologist Frank Chapman started the new and less lethal tradition of the Bird Census. 27 birdwatchers in 25 cities (including Toronto) participated in that first count; last year more than 50,000 counters in 19 countries from Antarctica to Alaska took part.

In Richmond Hill, each year groups of birdwatchers of all levels of expertise disperse to their assigned sections; each group taking note of every bird and every species that they see in their area. The groups meet at the end of the day for the annual Chili Dinner, where their findings are totalled up. The club’s results in turn are submitted to Bird Studies Canada, which works with the Audubon Society in the US and elsewhere to analyze the data. If you wish to be a counter or to volunteer your back yard please leave a message with Gene Denzel at 905-889-7888 or email [email protected]

Richmond Hill Christmas Bird Count Map Circle

Please feel free to download and distribute the RHN Christmas Bird Count Poster.

(Red-headed Woodpecker photo by Gene Denzel)

Boreal forests store more carbon than any other terrestrial ecosystem on earth – twice as much per area as tropical forests. Past estimates of this carbon greatly underestimated the amount, depth, and longevity of this carbon. As the most intact remaining forest on earth, the boreal forest also has exceptionally high potential to accommodate plants and animals forced to shift due to climate change.

Canada hosts most of North America’s Boreal Forest. Canada’s vast Boreal Forest stores an estimated 208 billion tons of carbon (71 billion tons in forests⁴ and 137 billion tons in peatlands⁵)—the equivalent of 26 years worth of global carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels.

This BorealBirds.org report questions whether international negotiations on carbon and forest protection have adequately considered boreal forests in light of the scientific findings outlining their significance.  For more information, please visit BorealBirds.org

From the Richmond Hill Liberal:

With the 110th annual Christmas Bird Count taking place this year on Dec. 19, the Richmond Hill Naturalists are looking for people with bird feeders to open up their back yards for the Bird Counters. Bird Counters will visit volunteering households, only once, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

They will check the yard to count all the birds and bird species that may be seen there for just a few minutes – maybe longer if your yard is full with birds at that particular moment. You may also choose to count the birds and bird species in your yard yourself on December 19 and report your results. [Full Story]

Please feel free to download and distribute the RHN Christmas Bird Count Poster.