SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
More than a dozen intrepid birders headed out in bitter cold and windy weather last Saturday in and around Yellowknife for the annual Christmas bird count. The event, which has been running officially in Yellowknife since 1973, was sponsored by Ecology North.

This photo of a black-capped chickadee was taken last Saturday while avid bird watchers were out for the annual Christmas bird count. - photo courtesy of Vicki and Warren St. Germaine

Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley, an avid bird watcher himself, was among the 14 people who took part in the excursion.

"Back in the 1800s hunters would head out on or around Christmas day to see how many species of birds they could shoot and kill," Bromley said.

"Then in 1899, the Audubon Society explained to the hunters that their hunting practices were hurting the bird populations and to count birds over Christmas instead of shooting them. This Christmas bird count has been taking place ever since."

Bromley said that the Christmas bird count now happens in more than 2,000 locations across North America and down into the Caribbean.

Bromley said this year the birders went to several locations including Jolliffe Island on Yellowknife Bay, an area near Cassidy Point out the Ingraham Trail, Dettah and Kam Lake.

"We use the data collected and compare it to years gone by and that way we can see if the numbers of a particular species are down and what changes in the environment may have led to that," Bromley said. "This year, we did not notice any significant drops in numbers so that is a good thing."

Bromley said that several years ago, they'd only be able to identify five or six species of birds when they were out on the Christmas bird count. "Then a few years back, we hit a peak of 15 species. This year we identified 10 species, but that my be attributed to the very cold day we were out."

Among the birders' confirmed sightings this year were black-capped chickadees, Boreal chickadees, common ravens, willow ptarmigan, grey jays, redpolls, black billed magpies, house sparrows and hairy woodpeckers.

Bromley said the redpolls are a particular interesting species.

"They actually have special sets of pouches on their throats that enable them to store seeds that they can later eat," Bromley said.

"There seems to be a large birch seed crop this winter and that appears to have helped the birds find food.

"We also think that the number of bird feeders people have placed outside on their properties have helped increase the numbers of bird and species we now have here in the North," Bromley said.

The next bird count day in Yellowknife will be held on Mother's Day weekend in May.

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