2024 Frontenac Christmas Bird Count

Jan 30, 2025

The powers that be smiled upon us on Saturday, December 14, 2024. Following a week of snow, sleet, freezing rain, heavy rain, and high winds (not all at once, fortunately!), count day dawned crisp, sunny, and dry, with a couple of inches of snow and almost no wind.

A phenomenal search effort by 54 field surveyors and 13 feeder/yard-watchers resulted in 4,703 individual birds from 55 species being counted. Field surveyors spent 61 hours walking and hiking >100 km and 24 hours by driving 200 km in their search. Poking around and listening for birds in suitable habitat off the beaten path pays off! An additional 35 hours was spent watching birds at feeders and 2 hours spent on nocturnal (owl) survey.

In addition to the bird count, an afternoon CBC For Kids event engaged 12 children and 7 adults. At the end of the day, 34 participants gathered for dinner. A sampling of the day’s activities is compiled in one participant’s video, “ The Tenth Annual Frontenac Christmas Bird Count – A Celebration ” – check it out!

Established in 1900 and now comprising >2,000 census circles across the Americas and beyond, Christmas Bird Counts are the world’s longest-running Citizen Science survey of winter bird populations. Your contribution of time and effort to the Frontenac CBC are valuable and much appreciated. Next year’s Frontenac CBC is a late one – Saturday, December 20, 2025 – but we’re still counting on you to join us.