The search for the millenium falcon
- our Christmas bird count for 1999
57 Redpoll 2 Chickadees
3 Crows 3 Ravens
12 Finches 18 Sparrows
This was the first time that we had gone out on the Christmas bird count and it was a -30c Sunday afternoon. We were counting birds and other interesting critters in the area of town where we live.
Now the birds are wise to this and realize that here in Saskatchewan, if there are too many they are liable to get hunted. We first met this perfidy at my parents home where there were a group of generic unidentified birds hiding under the deck and birdtable, and therefore invisible to watchers within.
Next, we met two black birds tearing open a potato chip bag. Under 23cm. makes them a raven while bigger ,they are crows. Ravens are rather clever birds, oftimes the subject of old legends, while crows are a bit of a bully. Measuring was not on, but crisp bags are pretty much all a standard size. A crow. We did see both during the afternoon.
Behind the outdoor ice rink there is a wood. We had to climb up and slitter down a 20' high snow bank and were rewarded with vigorous cheeping. There were two chickadees (look like coal tits for English readers), all fluffed up and looking like a Christmas card. Must be more birds in this wood. It's amazing how many branches can be hidden under two feet of snow. No birds, no squirrels. Look, in that garden there's a bird table.
There is word for people who look over other peoples fences in freezing weather. They are called twitchers or twits for short.
Then we got back into the mini van and had the heater up hot. This did not enhance our bird watching experience as the windows steamed up. Further around the estate, there was an invisible flock of birds. No choice. Out of the van to walk across the park while Christine drove the van round to the other side. No birds but when we reached the other side, there was the van and a flock of over fifty redpolls stripping buds off two jackpines.
In town ,we know there were a flock of 400 Bohemian waxwings but they were in someone else area, as were the bluejays which we saw later in the Christmas holiday. Was it fun? Well, not bad and we'll try it again, prefereably when it is warm enough for the birds not to have "Sell by dates" on them. But someone should put numbers on these birds, like they do with trains.(They do. It's called banding-Ed.) .