Before the turn of the 20th century, hunters had a holiday tradition called the Christmas “Side Hunt”. They would choose sides and see who would have the biggest pile of kills of feathered and furred friends. At this time, conservation was just in the beginning stages, and many observers and scientists were becoming concerned about declining bird populations. Starting on Christmas Day 1900, ornithologist Frank M. Chapman proposed a new holiday tradition, the “Christmas Bird Census.” Counting the birds, instead of hunting them during the holidays. That year, 28 birders, including Chapman, held 25 Christmas Bird Counts from Toronto to Pacific Grove, California.
Today, from December 14 through January 5, each year thousands of volunteers take part in the Christmas Bird Counts to help with conservation efforts to see the health of the bird populations. In the Bow Valley, this year’s Christmas Birds Count will take place on Saturday, December 16th. If those of you in the valley are interested in playing a role, please pop over to "https://bowvalleynaturalists.org/get-involved/citizen-science-projects/cbc/“ and click on “contact us.”
