Braving cold yet dry conditions Saturday, 85 volunteers participated in the annual Christmas Bird Count to mark the season and identify the richness of the Tri-Cities' winter bird population.
With 12 teams covering an area of urban and forested trails from Port Coquitlam to Pitt Meadows, as many as 11,200 birds were spotted, including some of the tiniest denizens of the region, according to John Reynolds, an SFU ecology professor and avid birder who co-ordinated the local bird count.
"It was a non-rainy day sandwiched between two horrible days of weather," said Reynolds, "and most of the teams reported above-average numbers of species."
Among the highlights was the pygmy-owl, which is a tiny owl that feeds on smaller birds and rodents. As many as five were spotted, which is rare, Reynolds said, because they winter in small numbers.
"To find five of these birds in one day in the Tri-Cities is unusual," he said. "Clearly, they are having a very good year."
The Christmas Bird Count replaced an annual hunting tradition and dates back more than 100 years. Information collected locally is sent to Bird Studies Canada, which shares the statistics with the National Audubon Society in the U.S., and Reynolds said the count is important for tracking species numbers over time.
The local bird count has found, for example, increasing numbers of Anna's hummingbirds, which normally stick to more southern climes. "They've been gradually coming north in winter," Reynolds said, speculating that a combination of available food from hummingbird feeders and milder winters is encouraging them to expand their winter range.
