“To be standing together in a frosty field, looking up into the sky, marvelling at birds and revelling in the natural world around us, was a simple miracle.”
Join us at Wintergreen Studios for a day dedicated to the birds!
Launched in 1900, the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is North America’s longest-running Citizen Science project. In collaboration with Audubon and Birds Canada, people in more than 2,000 locations throughout the Western Hemisphere participate in the CBC each year. Last year, for the first time, Wintergreen Studios was added to the list of count locations for the Frontenac region! We’re excited to be taking part this year for the second time.
Information collected by participants contributes to one of the world’s largest sets of wildlife survey data. The results are used by conservation biologists, environmental planners, and naturalists to assess the population trends and distribution of birds as part of an effort to protect North American birds and safeguard their habitats.
NOTE: No prior birding experience is required. Families welcome; bring a pair of binoculars or borrow one of ours!
EVENT SCHEDULE
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Winter Birding 101 and Feeder Survey
Hosted by our resident birding expert Hilbert Buist, we’ll start the day with a quick intro to Winter Birding and an overview of the tricks of the trade—counting techniques, binocular use, bird ID, and how to use the Merlin and iNaturalist Apps.
Following this, we’ll head outside for the first count of the day starting with our feeders!
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Lunch
Please bring your own lunch. Hot beverages will be provided.
1:00 PM – 3:00PM Field Survey
After a break for hot drinks and a BYOL style meal in Wintergreen Studios’ toasty straw bale Lodge, we’ll gather again for the second segment of the Bird Count. The afternoon field survey will take us through a range of habitats found at our 200-acre wilderness site.
NOTE: The land at Wintergreen Studios is rugged in areas, particularly in winter. Hiking poles are available for all guests.
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
HILBERT BUIST is a retired pastry chef and naturalist from Kingston, ON guiding hikes on Belle Island, in Kingston, and at Wintergreen. He has identified over 1,200 species across all flora and fauna between Kingston and Ottawa. His main focuses are birds and fungi. Other interests include photography, writing, drawing and discovering how species connect with each other to create ecosystems.
REGISTRATION
This community event is FREE and open to all. We encourage you to pre-register, but you should also feel free to drop by at the last minute!
Please BYOBL (bring your own boomerang lunch). What’s a boomerang lunch, you ask? It’s where everything you bring goes back with you (in your belly or in your pack), leaving nothing behind.