SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - While fewer people turned out to help spot birds during this year's Christmas Bird Count, that didn't stop citizen surveyors from scouting out a record number of feathered friends.

Bird enthusiasts spotted a northern hawk owl during this year's annual Christmas Bird Count on Jan. 2. A record number of ravens were also counted this year. - photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Yellowknife bird count totals 2011 2010 Ravens 2,613 2,091 Black-billed magpie 46 30 Ptarmigan 255 204 Redpolls 113 184 Boreal chickadee 8 7 Northern hawk owl 1 0 House sparrow 4 17 Downy woodpecker 2 0

Bob Bromley, local biologist and count organizer, said the participants managed to spot a total of 3,059 birds around Yellowknife, a new record for the city by close to 500 birds.

"We recorded a record number of ravens, over 2,500 ravens," he said, adding the final tally was 2,613 ravens. "That may be a North American record, but we won't know for about 10 months."

A dozen people showed up Sunday morning, Jan. 2 - about half the expected number. The day was mild, with a temperature of -17 C and calm winds, so participants expected to see a lot of birds out.

Patricia Baldwin said anyone can participate.

"People think you have to have the fancy binoculars," she said. "Well, I got mine at Wal-Mart. All you need is a book and an inexpensive pair."

The over-whelming number of ravens were mostly found out at the dump, beyond the public salvaging area. Bromley, a biologist who has studied birds in the NWT for more than 16 years, and his wife were canvassing the dump and together counted 2,055 ravens there.

That wasn't the only surprise; bird watchers encountered two species not seen before during the Christmas count - the Northern hawk owl and the downy woodpecker.

Baldwin was lucky enough to see the hawk owl just as the sun was setting.

"It flew right in front of us, it was magnificent," she said, adding it had "A big pudgy body of an owl with these hawk-like movements."

Though Yellowknife is within the range of both the hawk owl and the downy woodpecker, Bromley said it is rare to see either bird in the winter. Even though the Northern hawk owl is only partially nocturnal, unlike most other owls, Bromley said it is still rare to see them out.

A foreign species to the North, the number of magpies seen climbed to 46 from the 30 spotted during last year's count.

Bromley said a concern with this population bloom is that the magpie is a predatory bird and will kill smaller species, like the house sparrow.

Though house sparrows were counted in the hundreds here a few years ago, this year only four house sparrows were counted. Bromley doesn't think the magpie alone could account for the drop in numbers, but it could be part of the reason.

The Christmas Bird Count contributes to the Audubon Society bird research. Though it is small in its numbers, Bromley said the Yellowknife count is important once added to the North American statistics. All the little counts, when added together, can show changes in migratory patterns.

"Every little count plays a role," he said, adding the long-term outcome of these studies will show whether climate change is affecting the 10-year cycle of birds.

Around 2,000 Christmas Bird Counts take place across North America every year with six in the NWT, Inuvik, Fort Simpson, Norman Wells, Fort Smith and Hay River. The Audubon Society and Bird Studies Canada compile the results for a North American overview of bird numbers and movement.

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