The Balmoral Christmas Bird Count marked its 63rd year on Dec. 20, continuing a long-running local tradition that contributes to one of North America’s oldest citizen-science programs.
A graph shows Pine Grosbeak population index changes over time for the Balmoral Christmas Bird Count, based on long-term volunteer monitoring data
Despite colder, snowier conditions and blowing winds, 38 volunteers participated in this year’s count, slightly fewer than the 42 who took part in 2024. Organizer Jim Duncan said weather and seasonal illness likely played a role in the reduced turnout.
“There were slightly fewer participants than last year, in part due to the blowing snow and higher flu infections,” Duncan said.
Even so, the number of birds recorded increased significantly. Volunteers counted 1,679 individual birds across 27 species, up from 1,347 birds recorded during the 2024 count.
“Despite that and the colder, snowier weather, more birds were counted than last year,” Duncan said.
He noted that winter conditions can influence which species are detected. Birds such as Snow Buntings and Common Ravens are well adapted to open, blustery habitats, while forest-dwelling species are more likely to seek shelter and go unnoticed.
“Some bird species are able to carry on their business in open blustery habitats, while others seek shelter and are less likely to be counted, such as forest-dwelling owls, grouse and magpies,” he said.
This year’s highlights included 500 Snow Buntings, 281 Common Ravens, 179 Black-capped Chickadees, 144 House Sparrows, 117 Redpolls and 106 Blue Jays. Other species recorded included Pine Grosbeaks, Bohemian Waxwings, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Bald Eagles and Pileated Woodpeckers. During the count week, observers also reported a Northern Shrike and an immature Red-tailed Hawk.
The Balmoral count is part of the continent-wide Christmas Bird Count network, which began in 1900 and is coordinated nationally by Birds Canada. The program relies on long-term data collected by volunteers to track population changes and environmental impacts.
According to Duncan, long-term monitoring is essential to understanding how birds are affected by a wide range of pressures.
“Long-term monitoring is important to understand the impact of the emergence of new diseases such as West Nile Virus and avian influenza, climate change including forest fires and drought, and long-term habitat changes like the conversion of grasslands and forests for agriculture and resource extraction,” he said.
He added that irregular or irruptive species, such as the Pine Grosbeak, require especially large and long-running datasets to draw meaningful conclusions.
“For birds that are irruptive or not seen every year, we need longer-term and widespread data sets to obtain statistically valid population trend data needed to assess their conservation status,” Duncan said.
The appearance of Pine Grosbeaks this winter was a particular highlight for volunteers. Known for the vivid red colouring of adult males, the species does not appear in the Balmoral area every year.
“Volunteers certainly get an additional immediate satisfaction at seeing a beautifully coloured bird like the Pine Grosbeak show up at their feeders and in their fruit trees,” Duncan said.
Their unpredictable presence also sparks curiosity among participants.
“Their irregular appearance raises questions about why some birds are seen every winter, like chickadees and blue jays, while others like the Pine Grosbeak are not,” he said. “The long-term data collected by thousands of Christmas Bird Count volunteers over decades across North America can help provide answers to those questions.”
