By Liam Verster

Bird Count

Great Backyard Bird Count event to go at Saskatoon Lake Bird Sanctuary

Feb 9, 2020 | 5:00 AM

A family event, that will collect information on the bird populations in the Peace Region will go at Saskatoon Island on Saturday, February 15.

The event is part of the Great Backyard Bird Count, which is a global initiative that began in 1998, to collect data on bird populations, migration, and distribution. Over 160,000 people across the globe participate in this weekend-long event each year.

In recognition of the initiative, Nature Alberta’s Nature Kids has partnered with the Peace Parklands Naturalists, to hold a bird count at Saskatoon Island, which connects to Saskatoon Lake’s Bird Sanctuary.

The event will feature bird crafts, family activities, marshmallow roasting, and a bird counting walk with binoculars. Families interested in participating are asked to register in advance, by emailing naturekids@naturealberta.ca, so that there will be enough supplies for everyone. There will also be a complimentary bus service for participants, leaving the Centre 2000 at 11:15 a.m., and returning from the park at 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

Zoe MacDougall, the Program Coordinator for Nature Alberta’s Nature Kids program, says there is a specific reason why they chose to hold the bird watch at Saskatoon Island.

“Saskatoon Lake is a bird sanctuary, and it’s also an important bird and biodiversity area. And the reason that it’s designated as such, is because it’s a trumpeter swan breeding ground. So trumpeter swans were endangered, and their numbers have actually increased in the past few years. It’s a really important area for trumpeter swans, they come in the spring, and they breed there and they stay all year, then they leave in the fall for migration.”

She says, along with collecting data, this event will highlight the area for families, who can then go visit on their own.

The event will also have people taking out a checklist and collecting data on the types of bird species that are living in this particular area. Binoculars will be provided to the kids participating in the bird count.

The data collected will be used to create a snapshot of populations, which will be compared to past data to see if there are any changes to populations and whether the birds are healthy or not. That data will be uploaded to an online database, which can be used to design future scientific, research, or conservation projects.

MacDougall says families are asked to register in advance, as they are renting a bus and there are only so many seats available. Anyone interested is asked to email naturekids@naturealberta.ca. MacDougall also asks anyone who plans on attending on their own, without taking the bus, to send her an email, so she can be prepared with enough supplies for everyone.

Anyone who can’t make the event can still participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count between February 14 and 17. People can go to the Great Backyard Bird Count website, and find links to the forms there.

MacDougall says just 15 minutes of bird counting while sitting outside watching a bird feeder or walking through a park, is really important. The more data collected, the better, as it will be used to guide the science around helping bird population and health in the future.