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Christmas Bird Count returning to area Dec. 17

Annual count centres on Bass Lake area
2022-11-20-pileated-woodpecker
Pileated woodpecker

NEWS RELEASE
ORILLIA NATURALISTS’ CLUB
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The Orillia Christmas Bird Count is coming up for Saturday, Dec. 17.

Since 1981 members and friends of the Orillia Naturalists’ Club have been documenting a sampling of birds, found in a circle, 25 kilometres in diameter, which centres on Bass Lake.

People, divided into nine teams, scour their area for the day.

Although the first count was started on Christmas Day in 1900, as an alternative to hunting, we now call it citizen science (with all its inadequacies). The counts each year are influenced by weather conditions, but over years, trends can be assessed. Data is submitted to the Long Point Bird Observatory.

So, if you see people driving slowly or using binoculars, they are probably part of this count.

If you are interested in participating, please phone Fern Splichal at 705-325-2952.

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