The Christmas Bird Count is a census of early-winter bird populations sponsored by Bird Studies Canada in partnership with the Audubon Society. People across North America cooperate to count birds in their area between December 14th to January 5th. The results of their efforts are compiled into the longest running database in ornithology, representing over a century of unbroken data on trends of early-winter bird populations across the Americas. Simply put, the Christmas Bird Count, or "CBC", is citizen science in action.
The first offical CBC in Manitoba took place in 1925. Nature Manitoba has been organizing regular CBC's in Winnipeg and publishing count results in our newsletter since the 1960s!
Christmas Bird Counts are held regularly in several locations in Manitoba, and are a great reason to get outside.
Manitoba Christmas Bird Counts 2022
The Christmas Bird Count will be held throughout the province in December 2022 and early January 2023. For those of you who are interested in participating, but who are unfamiliar with the count, the following is a brief description of the procedure. Parties will be out in the field, covering a section of the count circle by walking and driving for much of the day – ideally from about 8 a.m. to about 4 p.m. Novice counters would be teamed with experienced counters. The objective is to count all the individuals of all the bird species seen or heard, while keeping track of mileages and time on foot and by vehicle.
Please contact the CBC organizer in your area to register for a count. Masks are recommended.
| Date | CBC Area | ORGANIZER | CONTACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, December 17th 2022 | Balmoral | Jim Duncan | owlfamily@mymts.net |
| Saturday, December 17th 2022 | East Braintree | Graham Peters | graham.peters@arocha.ca |
| Saturday, December 17th 2022 | Oak Hammock Marsh | Paula Grieef | p_grieef@ducks.ca |
| Sunday, December 18th 2022* | Winnipeg | Rudolf Koes | rkoes@mymts.net |
| Sunday, December 18th 2022 | Brandon | Gillian Richards | westman.naturalists@gmail.com |
| Tuesday, December 20th 2022 | Riding Mountain | George Hartlen | friends.rmnp@mymts.net |
| Thursday, December 22nd 2022 | Hodgson | Joanne Smith | picsmith@live.ca |
| Friday, December 23rd 2022 | Cypress River-Spruce Woods | Ken deSmet | kdesmet@shaw.ca |
| Monday, January 2nd 2023 | Rivers | Gillian Richards | westman.naturalists@gmail.com |
* Teams for the Winnipeg count have been finalized. Please consider signing up for 2023.
After the Winnipeg Chirstmas Bird Count, a potluck dinner and compiling session will be held at the Bronx Community Centre, 720 Henderson Highway, between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. (Please do not arrive earlier). A small fee will be collected to offset the cost of renting the room at the centre. Please contact Marlene Waldron (wchristianson@mymts.net) to indicate what you’d be willing to bring to the potluck. We have the use of kitchen facilities.
See the latest CBC results here.
You can learn more about these counts by visiting these great sites: Bird Studies Canada and Audubon Society