Leduc Spring Bird Count runs June 2 to 9

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Leduc’s 12th annual Spring Bird Count returns June 2 to 9, coinciding with Canada’s Environment Week. The Rep caught up with Andrew Tait, who tallies the local bird count results, to talk about the importance of the annual count.

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What is the Spring Bird Count?

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Tait: Each spring, we have an opportunity to survey our returning, migratory breeding bird population, along side overwintering species.  This count is unusual in that we will be able to assess the impacts of last year’s wildfire season, and any on-going or new conflagrations. It differs from the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) by allowing for seven days of observations, rain or shine, smoke or blue skies.

The Spring Bird Count is an easy and enjoyable way to learn and grow in knowledge, and engage with friends and family during a hike, cycling, enjoying a cup of coffee in the backyard, or even viewing through a window (if shut in).  If you’ve never participated before, today is as important as ever, as we document rapidly evolving trends.

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For a Spring Bird Count tally sheet, contact the City of Leduc, or email Tait at [email protected].

What are some of the trends observed in the Christmas Bird Count back in December?

The CBC indicated the likelihood of huge bird mortalities among our overwintering species, which may be reflected again in this tally, in a more exacting manner.  One of our expert surveyors reports finding large numbers of expired Tree swallow nestlings while cleaning out bird boxes from last year.  This may be due to low numbers of flying insects caused by heavy smoke during nesting season.

What are the bird trends since 2019?

The last Canadian State of the Birds was released in 2019. At that, the water foul population was up, as were birds of prey numbers. There are now more geese, for example, due the work of conservation organizations like Ducks Unlimited, and the different policies that have been enacted, and bird of prey numbers are up since the demise of DDT.

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Wet land birds have been on the rise as of 2019, although we may see a down-trend now because of fire seasons and climate change. Shore birds were already down in 2019. Grassland birds are down, which is a concern to our area, due to drought, development, and practices that don’t support ground nesting birds.

What are you hoping to learn with the Spring Bird Count?

Employing the same bird circle, controls and methodologies as the CBC, on-going data indicates trending in species and populations over time, information useful to researchers, governments and private individuals seeking to understand anthropomorphic and natural impacts on birds specifically, and the environment in general.  This count, I’ll also be encouraging surveyors who live near wetlands, to set up accounts with Frogwatch (Naturewatch website), to survey amphibians and begin to tie that data into a greater impact study. 

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Understanding how wildfires, climate shifts and building developments are impacting the Leduc Region will provide insights into immediate and future planning criteria, and allow individuals to engage where they see opportunity.

What effect is climate change having on recent bird count results?

The dynamics of climate change are resulting in us seeing lower numbers of birds overall, because of wildfires and habitats being destroyed. It used to be unusual to see fires on April 1 — now we are seeing them in March. Birds either don’t have time to lay nests, or nests are being destroyed in the fire before the offspring can escape.

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