From December 14th to January 5th, birders from all over North America participated in the annual Christmas Bird Count, in order to observe, document, and understand bird populations across the continent.
In the Crowsnest Pass, 34 species were observed by members of the Crowsnest Conservation Society and volunteers from the community on December 27th.
Large numbers of common birds such as the Bohemian Waxwing, Common Raven, Mountain Chickadee, House Sparrow, Pine Grosbeak, and Wild Turkey were observed.
Some less common specimens were also observed on the day or within the count week, including one Great Blue Herron, one Northern Goshawk, one juvenile Bald Eagle, one Merlin, and one Ruffed Grouse.
Merilyn Liddell, Vice President and Secretary for Crow Conservation, said she was surprised by the total count this year, as she has seen very few birds at her own feeders, except for chickadees and other common species.
“We were surprised by the high numbers,” she said. “We had better numbers than last year.”
The local count covered areas from Hillcrest to Sentinel, with Liddell, Dawn Hall, Pat Lucas, Christopher Smith, Raymond Toal, Phil Nicholas, Shirley Enzsol, and Denise Coccioloni-Amatto participating on site, and eight “feeder watchers” phoning in their results from home.
“We covered different areas where there was open water, and places we suspected we would see birds,” said Liddell.
Many locals also participated in the count in Waterton on December 18th, where 22 people participated and observed another 40 species.
Some of the most common birds seen during the Waterton count were the White-winged Crossbill, Pine Grosbeak, Common Redpoll, Bohemian Waxwing, Red Crossbill, Common Goldeneye, and Common Raven.