Post on 10-Jun-2020
Christmas Bird Count for Kids!
The Christmas Bird Count is a popular annual tradition where the public spends a day observing and
counting birds in their hometowns, then submits their observations to Bird Studies Canada and other
scientists who study bird populations across Canada. This year, we want to start a new holiday tradition
by inviting our NatureKids Clubs to participate in a Christmas Bird Count for Kids! The Christmas Bird
Count for Kids is an easy and fun introduction to birds and bird identification, and a great way for
families to get outside together in the winter!
This activity guide includes suggestions for planning your event, optional activities you can do with the
Kids, and instructions for how to tally and submit your Christmas Bird Count observations!
1. Planning your Christmas Bird Count for Kids
Date, Time, Location You can host a Christmas Bird Count for Kids just like your regular monthly NatureKids Club
meetings.
When choosing a date and time for your meeting, keep in mind that traditional Christmas Bird
Counts are held in December or early January, and that birds are most active in the morning and
evening hours.
A great location for your Count would be a park or nature trail. You could also experiment with
visiting different habitats (like urban areas or bodies of water) to explore whether different
habitats are home to different birds.
Bird Experts You don’t need to be a bird expert to do this activity with your Club! Part of the fun is finding a
mysterious bird and leafing through a field guide together to discover what kind of bird it is.
If you would prefer to have some bird experts on hand, Nature NB can connect you with some
local naturalists who would be more than happy to share what they know with some excited
NatureKids.
2. Running your Christmas Bird Count for Kids Running your Christmas Bird Count is fairly simple. Take your group on a birding walk for an hour or
longer, and tally the types and number of birds that you observe. Feel free to include some extra bird-
related activities either before or after your walk!
Birding Walk Materials and Resources:
Field Guides
Binoculars
Clip boards and pens
Observation sheets
Prepare your supplies ahead of time. If needed, some binoculars can be borrowed from Nature NB
(depending on availability).
Explain to the kids that they are going to be participating in a citizen science project today! A note on citizen science:
Citizen scientists are really important! Ask the kids to imagine how BIG Canada is. Can they guess how many people live in Canada? (About 35 million). How many scientists live in Canada? (A few thousand).
So we don’t have enough scientists to study ALL of Canada – it’s too big! The scientists would have to work 24 hours a day to learn everything about Canada.
But lots of citizens live in Canada! And citizens can help scientists learn about Canada by making observations in their backyard or their park or their town and sharing them with scientists.
The Christmas Bird Count is a citizen science project that helps scientists learn all about birds, especially the ones that don’t migrate south for the winter.
Take the kids out to your trail or route and have fun looking for birds! Remember to also listen for birds
– sometimes you will hear them before you can see them. When you find a bird, ask the kids to help
identify it. Use field guides as needed and ask the kids questions about the colour of the bird, the shape
of the bird, the size of its beak, the length of its tail, etc. to help identify it.
Recording your Observations Use the included observation sheet to record your observations. Keep track of the type of birds you see
and the number of birds you see (e.g. 5 black-capped chickadees, 1 herring gull). The observation sheet
lists birds that are commonly found in New Brunswick in the winter. How many can you find?
Optional Activities Round out your birding walk with some crafts or games! Pine Cone Bird Feeders Collect pine cones with the kids. Fold a piece of twine into a loop and tie it around the top of the pine cone. With a spoon, spread vegetable shortening (e.g. Crisco) or peanut butter (depending on allergies) over the surface of the cone. Roll the cone in bird seed and hang from a tree! You can also cut slices of orange, thread twine through the top of a slice, and hang them as another delicious treat! Find Your Flock Birds use their songs to communicate with each other, and will often find one another by listening to and following songs. Ask the kids to share any bird songs that they know. Choose 4 or 5 common birds (e.g. chickadee, crow, goose, humming bird) and share their songs with the kids, and have them repeat the songs back to you. Tell the kids to choose one of these birds, but to keep it a secret. On “GO”, the kids will have to sing the song of their bird and try to find others singing the same song – BUT, because birds use their ears to find each other and not their eyes, the kids must do this with their eyes closed!
3. Submitting your observations Send your Christmas Bird Count observations to the NatureKids Coordinator at Nature NB!
(naturekids@naturenb.ca)
Nature NB will submit your observations using eBird, a data collection tool. Nature NB will also compile
the results of all the NatureKids Club Christmas Bird Counts across the province, so you can see what
birds were found in other areas!
BIRD · OISEAU TALLY · COMPTE TOTAL BIRD · OISEAU TALLY · COMPTE TOTAL
Canada Goose
Bernache du Canada
Common Loon
Plongeon huardAmerican Black Duck
Canard noir
Northern Gannet
Fou de Bassan
Mallard
Canard colvert
Double Crested Cormorant
Cormoran à aigrettesSurf Scoter
Macreuse à front blanc
Great Blue Heron
Grand HéronWhite-winged Scoter
Macreuse bruneLong-tailed Duck
Harelde kakawi
Turkey Vulture
Urubu à tête rougeCommon Goldeneye
Garrot à oeil d'or
Northern Harrier
Busard Saint-MartinCommon Merganser
Grand Harle
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Épervier brunRed-breasted Merganser
Harle huppé
Bald Eagle
Pygargue à tête blancheRed-tailed Hawk
Buse à queue rousseRing-necked Pheasant
Faisan de Colchide
Rough-legged Hawk
Busse pattueRuffed Grouse
Gélinotte huppée
Merlin
Faucon émerillon
Ring-billed Gull
Goéland à bec cerclé
Rock Pigeon
Pigeon bisetHerring Gull
Goéland argenté
Mourning Dove
Tourterelle tristeIceland Gull
Goéland arctiqueGreat Black-backed Gull
Goéland marin
Great Horned Owl
Grand-duc d'AmériqueSnowy Owl
Harfang des neigesRazorbill
Petit Pingouin
Barred Owl
Chouette rayéeBlack Guillemot
Guillemot à miroir
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Petite Nyctale
Loons, Gannets, Cormorants, Herons · Les Mouettes,
Gannets, Cormorans, Hérons
Birds of Prey · Les Oiseaux de Proie
Owls · Les Hiboux et les Chouettes
Auks, Murres, and Puffins · Les Guillemots et Puffins
Geese and Ducks · Les Oies et Canards
Pheasants and Grouse · Les Faisans et Grouse
Pigeons and Doves · Les PigeonsGulls · Les Goélands
Christmas Bird Count!Recensement des oisequx de Noël!
CLUB:
DATE:
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BIRD · OISEAU TALLY · COMPTE TOTAL BIRD · OISEAU TALLY · COMPTE TOTALFox Sparrow
Bruant fauveRed-bellied Woodpecker
Pic à ventre roux
Dark-eyed Junco
Junco ardoiséDowny Woodpecker
Pic mineur
White-throated Sparrow
Bruant à gorge blancheHairy Woodpecker
Pic chevelu
Song Sparrow
Bruant chanteurNorthern Flicker
Pic flamboyant
Northern Cardinal
Cardinal rougePileated Woodpecker
Grand Pic
Red-winged Blackbird
Carouge à épaulettesCommon Grackle
Quiscale bronzéGray Jay
Mésangeai du Canada
Brown-headed Cowbird
Vacher à tête bruneBlue Jay
Geai bleu
Baltimore Oriole
Oriole de BaltimoreAmerican Crow
Corneille d'Amérique
Pine Grosbeak
Durbec des sapinsCommon Raven
Grand Corbeau
House Finch
Roselin familierHorned Lark
Alouette hausse-col
Purple Finch
Roselin pourpréBlack-capped Chickadee
Mésange à tête noir
Red Crossbill
Bec-croisé des sapinsBoreal Chickadee
Mésange à tête brun
White-winged Crossbill
Bec-croisé bifasciéRed-breasted Nuthatch
Sittelle à poitrine rousse
Common Redpoll
Sizerin flamméWhite-breasted Nuthatch
Sittelle à poitrine blanche
Pine Siskin
Tarin des pins Brown Creeper
Grimpereau brun
American Goldfinch
Chardonneret jauneGolden-crowned Kinglet
Roitelet à couronne dorée
Evening Grosbeak
Gros-bec errantEuropean Starling
Étourneau sansonnetBohemian Waxwing
Jaseur boréalCedar Waxwing
Jaseur d'AmériquePine Warbler
Paruline des pinsYellow-rumped Warbler
Paruline à croupion jauneSnow Bunting
Bruant des neigesAmerican Tree Sparrow
Bruant hudsonienChipping Sparrow
Bruant familier
Songbirds · Les Oiseaux Chanteurs
Other · Les Autres
Woodpeckers · Les Pics
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