Counting birds in the backyard and beyond a valuable scientific tool

This blue jay popped by one of six Skevington feeders. (Jeff Tribe Photo)

Jeff Tribe, Post Correspondent

Sharron and Richard Skevington find every day a great one to count birds in around their six backyard feeders, whether or not it’s an ‘officially’ sanctioned global event.

“The snow came and the birds came with it,” said Richard, noting a high level of activity, Sharron recording around 10 different species daily. “It’s really been great.”

The couple, which has been going through 40 kilograms of mixed, sunflower and Niger seed and suet every two weeks, receives considerable enjoyment viewing a list including blue jays, cowbirds, mourning doves - and the predatory Cooper’s hawk the latter have attracted.

What happens in their suburban Hickson backyard is certainly of interest to the Skevingtons. However, when results from like-minded citizen scientists across the globe are recorded, submitted and compiled, a valuable research data bank is created, and population trends are revealed along with potential environmental concerns.

Data is submitted in many ways, at any time through portals including eBird Canada, a collaborative project managed by Birds Canada. There are also special events and concentrated efforts bringing the birding community together for the equivalent of an e-blast of information.

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC, https://www.birdscanada.org/bird-science/great-backyard-bird-count) is a global initiative launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society and supported by Birds Canada. Coinciding with Family Day Weekend in Ontario, participants are asked to record birds seen in their backyard or other locations during a minimum 15-minute period between February 14-17th, although many - most in fact - go well past that baseline.

In 2024, an estimated 624,000 participants in 210 countries or subregions submitted 384,416 eBird checklists identifying 7,920 species of birds. Canada ranks third in the world behind The United States and India, with 31,151 checklists and 261 species reported.

The GBBC is an important tool in a kit which features many avenues. Richard filled in for his son Jeff this year as compiler for the Woodstock Christmas Bird Count (WCBC). Held Saturday, December 14th, the WCCB is one of many annual holiday events held between that day and January 5th, a time when a majority of north-south migration has ceased. Participants count birds in a consistent 25-kilometre radius around a designated point, locally, the bridge over Pittock Lake along Innerkip Road. Twenty-three birders in nine parties recorded 62 species between 6 a.m. and a 5:30 p.m. potluck, close to the annual average and ten below a historical high of 72.

Notable species included the first Gadwall duck of the Woodstock count, on Pittock which was just starting to ice up. A high number of bald eagles (16) indicates their rebound in numbers. There were also signs of climate change said Skevington, including 98 sandhill cranes and a crow count of 49,673, the latter reduced from normals of between 70,000 and 80,000, indicating more birds are comfortable staying in the Ottawa area than previously thought.

“They’re not having to move down.”

It was also a good day for owls, the second Northern Sawhet and Short-Eared owls identified in the count, along with two Great Horned and 15 Eastern Screech owls.

“That’s not bad,” said Skevington, adding 21 American Robins also were recorded.

“That shows there was still some food out there.”

Hawk eyes

Woodstock resident Chad Cornish recorded 34 raptors during his Winter Raptor Survey Sunday, December 22, in conjunction with the Hawk Migration Association of North America (https://www.hawkmigration.org). Similar to Christmas bird counts, Cornish follows a consistent timeline and route annually, taking in varied agricultural, lakefront, commercial and urban habitat.

He and wife Kim travel from Woodstock to Pt. Burwell, Port Bruce, Hawk Cliff, St. Thomas’ outskirts, Dorchester, Belmont, Beachville and back home, recording species and habitat details along with GPS coordinates for each sighting.

“And you just keep doing that until your route is finished,” said Chad.

A North American initiative, theirs was the only Canadian route this year, down from three in 2024. They saw six species including 18 Red-tailed Hawks, which Cornish calls the ‘Swiss army knife’ of raptors.

“They can do it all, they can glide, they can soar, they can hover, they take all kinds of different prey… and they are truly magnificent to watch.”

They also recorded nine bald eagles, two rough-legged hawks, two Cooper’s hawks and two American Kestrels, a species of interest due to falling numbers.

“Scientists are not sure why.”

They also spotted a Peregrine falcon upon their return.

“Downtown Woodstock,” said Cornish, of a bird that can often be seen perching on the church steeple at Dundas and Mill Streets. “We’ve got one wintering here.”

Raptors are an important part of the eco-system, and populations are generally on the rise following a DDT ban. Some species are struggling due to factors including urban sprawl and habitat loss. They have a hard life, 50 per cent not making it to their second year.

“The number one reason is starvation,” says Cornish.

He also participates in an annual raptor migration site count at Holiday Beach in Amherstburg, one of 300 in North America, as well as other bird counts.

“There are lots of different projects to get involved in if anyone is interested,” Cornish said, citing Project Feeder Watch (https://feederwatch.org) through Birds Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Services Breeding Bird Survey (https://www.birdscanada.org/bird-science/breeding-bird-survey) as two additional examples.

His involvement reflects personal interest and the fact bird population trends can be, quite literally the canary in the coal mine in terms of an environmental warning.

“If something is missing out of the ecosystem, then something else is going to be missing - and where does it end?”