December 27th – Saturday – Birders from Oliver and Osoyoos will be part of the local count, many rising before dawn to participate in the world’s longest running wildlife census begun in 1900.

“This is not just about counting birds,” says Dick Cannings, Bird Studies Canada program coordinator. “Data from the Christmas Bird Count are at the heart of hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific studies and inform decisions by wildlife managers across Canada. Because birds are early indicators of environmental threats to habitats we share, this is a vital survey of North America and, increasingly, the Western Hemisphere.”

Last year’s count shattered records in Canada.  A total of 412 counts involving over 12,000 participants tallied 3.9 million birds of 303 species. This year will be the 36th annual Oliver-Osoyoos Christmas Bird Count and will take place on December 27th. Participants will be covering from the north edge of Oliver to Boundary Point across the border, and from Anarchist Mountain to the west end of Richter Pass.

Other adjacent areas are covered by other counts, Vaseux Lake, Bridesville and Cawston. Anyone interested in participating, either by coming out with us or by recording the birds at their feeders, should contact the count organizer Doug Brown by phone at 250-495-6164 or by email at douglasbrown01@yahoo.ca.

Bird Studies Canada (BSC) is recognized nation-wide as a leading and respected, not-for-profit, conservation organization dedicated to the study and understanding of wild birds and their habitats. Each year, more than 20,000 volunteers actively participate in BSC research and education activities.