MONTREAL -- Teams were out with their eyes in the skies on Saturday, walking the wooded areas, wetlands and waterfronts in and around Montreal, armed with long-lensed cameras, binoculars and pens and paper.
They were looking for birds. The teams were part of the annual Christmas Bird Count organized by Bird Protection Quebec, an event that just celebrated its 85th year.
And the numbers were exciting: they found 16,107 birds, a big jump over last year's 11,877.
They also tied with an all-time record, spotting 77 species. The only time that high a number was previously recorded was in 2012.
The event brings a lot of suspense for those who take part. On Sunday morning, organizer Sheldon Harvey was still waiting for the final numbers from one of his top birders.
That birder was on the LaSalle shoreline and wooded areas from before the sun rose until after it set, counting gulls, owls, nuthatches and anything else his discerning eye could spot.
With 69 species counted at the time, Harvey was anxious to see if this year's numbers would break the record set three years ago.
"We're always anxious to see what numbers they come back with because he's really, really good at identifying difficult birds," said Harvey.
Bob Barnhurst, typically partners with Mabel MacIntosh, who is in her 90s, and both are avid birders --and always the last to send in their numbers.
"We always anticipate that his will be the last to come in," said Harvey.
The bird count is one of many Christmas bird counts across the world that monitor and record avian populations.
Onawa Jacobs is the general manager at the Kahnawake Environment Protection Office (KEPO) in the Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) community on the South Shore of the St. Lawrence River. She is new to birding but has embraced the hobby, she said.
"I was really happy to be part of this year’s Christmas Bird Count," said Jacobs.
"I discovered new parts of our territory and beauty I didn’t know existed. It motivates me even more on a personal and professional level to protect what we have for our future generations and all of creation."
The first bird her team spotted was a Bald Eagle, one of four of the iconic birds of prey teams spotted on the day.
This year, volunteers also spotted a number of boreal bird species that live in the far north and come to the Montreal area for food during particularly harsh winters. These birds eat pinecone seeds from conifer trees.
"The evergreen trees are loaded with cones this year," said Harvey.
"This year we saw things like White-winged Crossbills, Pine Grosbeaks, Snow Buntings, those types of birds that come down from the north for the winter. Last year we didn't have many of them at all. This year we expected to see more of them."
Last year's teams counted 11,877 birds. This year, the number is well over 12,000.
CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT HISTORY
Quebec's Christmas Bird Count is in its 85th year, but the practice goes back even further.
The National Audubon Society launched its first Christmas Bird Count in 1900 and has been doing them across the Americas ever since.
Harvey has been with Bird Protection Quebec since 2002.
The snapshot of the bird population not generally affected by migration (ones that don't fly south in the winter) within the 24-kilometre radius in and around Montreal is something that surprises many people.
"When we tell people that don't know anything about birds that we're seeing anywhere from 65 to 75 species of birds in the month of December, that's pretty impressive," said Harvey.
"People just really have no clue. They can't even believe that we go out bird watching in the winter."
No matter the weather, the bird count goes on.
"We've never cancelled one," said Harvey. "We've gone through all kinds of weather from warm rainstorms some years to deep freezes other years. Last year there was fog early in the morning and literally, you couldn't see your hand in front of your face especially if it's near water."
Teams of counters include a range of people with different talents from masters like MacIntosh and Barnhurst to amateur enthusiasts.
All people are welcome to volunteer and all birds that are spotted make the list.
"On Christmas count, every bird is important," said Harvey. "It doesn't matter if it's a pigeon, if it's a gull, if it's a crow, whatever it is, every bird needs to be counted. We're looking for anything that moves."
COUNTING DURING COVID-19
This year, as with everything else, organizing the count provided its own set of challenges.
"We were actually missing a fair number of people this year, it was a little tougher getting all the areas covered," said Harvey. "We had to scramble a little bit to get people into every territory to keep up the coverage like we do."
Team members wore masks, kept their distance and were able to carry out the count.
In the end, around 55 birders came through down from the typical number of around 75.
"We got pretty close to what we normally get out in the field," said Harvey. "Nobody had any problems."
CITIZEN SCIENCE
The Christmas Bird Count is one of many such activities birders take part in to give researchers a hand with population numbers.
The activities are what is referred to as citizen science where amateurs provide data for professionals in the field which they use for their research.
"The professional scientists who could never gather the kind of information that the amateur bird watchers are able to gather," said Harvey. "We're out there all the time."
Sites such as eBird also provide a space for bird watchers to track and compile their sightings, which gives researchers data on migratory patterns, demographics and other useful information.
"All that data is out there," said Harvey. "It's helpful for us as bird watchers, but it's meant to supply scientific information to the researchers, which they could never possibly have the resources to gather."
