Harbour City Star from Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada • 19

SS a X. fT wd numbers on meaecune anne ri 1 1 SJ KJ -V So how many birds do you think you could count in a day? For a two week period over the Christmas holidays various groups have organized for the 105th annual Christmas Bird Count. The purpose of the Christmas Bird Count is to understand the status and distribution of wintering birds. The data that is collected from all over North America and will give us clues as to what the birds are doing and i fowl and marine birds was the lowest ever. Some birds of interest that were recorded were, Sandhill Grane, Green Heron, Golden Eagle, Anna's Hummingbird and Swamp Sparrows.

Few other areas on the island and their results were, Port Alberni with 88 species including a Barn Swallow, Deep Bay with 76 species, Sooke with 116 species and a Rufous Hummingbird and Victoria with a preliminary count of 159 species and a new Canadian record for the most species on a Christmas Bird Count. Congratulations on a job well done to all the volunteers that coordinated and participated in this years Christmas Bird Count. For more in formation on the Christmas Bird Count and results check out the Bird Source website at www. Birdsource.org. See you next year on the 106th Christmas Bird Count.

Happy Colin Bartlett is a birder and proprietor of The Backyard Wild-bird Nature Store, 6 6404 Metral Drive Nanaimo, 390-3669, toll free 1-888-249-4145 or email thebackyardshaw.ca for more information. i i i where they are. With the' changes of urbanization and global warming, the habits and habitat of the birds is affected. By learning what the birds are doing through studies, such as the Christmas Bird Count, we may be able to see what the effects are on the birds and nature, along with clues as to what may be in store for us. A little history on the THE BIRD MAN COLIN BARTLETT which has been going for about 30 years.

Even with a record number of species counted there was approximately 28,000 individual species counted, down by about 13,000 species counted last year. According to the area count coodinator there were lower numbers in the waterfowl and marine birds. This may have been related to the mild weather before the count day, but the decline in marine birds is a continuing trend, which relates to the decline of marine habitat. Some birds of interest seen on the Nanaimo count were, Barn Owl, Yellow-billed Loon, Black-headed Grosbeak and Western Meadowlark. The Nanoose Bay Christmas Bird Count, known as the "biggest little Christmas Bird Count on Vancouver Island" because it covers only half the area as all the other counts, recorded 104 species.

Some of the birds of interest recorded were, Red-throated Loon, Brant, Northern Pygmy Owl, Anna's Hummingbirds, and Pine Grosbeaks. As for the Parksville Qualicum Beach Christmas Bird Count, preliminary results show they recorded 105 species and more than 27,000 individual birds. Some birds of interest seen were: 286 Bald Eagles, Ruffed Grouse, Evening Grosbeaks, Peregrine Falcon, and Western Meadowlark. The Duncan Christmas Bird Count had to deal with a little of the white stuff, but recorded 111 species. The overall total number of individual species was just more than 29,000, which is average but the number of water Christmas Bird Count, which was first held December 25, 1900.

There were a total of 27 participants in 25 count areas that ranged from New Brunswick to Pacific Grove California. In total they counted 18,500 individual birds with a total of 90 species. Since then the Christmas Bird Count has grown to more than 50,000 participants and 1,800 count areas in North America and parts of Latin America. Before the Christmas Bird Count a holiday tradition was called the Christmas Side Hunt. The goal was to see who could bring back the biggest feathered bounty.

As the Audubon Society was just beginning, they decided that it would be better to count birds than shoot them, and since then the Christmas Bird Count has grown. There are numerous Christmas Bird Counts held all over the Island, but here are the results of a few lpcal counts. The Nanaimo Christmas Bird Count was held on Boxing Day and had a great count with the most number of species -130 ever counted in Nanaimo, i5.1 Did ICU HU ClClUCJ -T r'M A. jr- Operation Red Nose a big success The Star Operation Red Nose through December in Nanaimo was a huge success, say organizers. PacificSport Nanaimo is thrilled with the results of this year's campaign.

The Sport Centre reported similar numbers to last year. In all, 58 volunteers drove over 750 people home safely over the course of the campaign. "We definitely have the hardest working volunteers in the province," says Drew Cooper, general manager of PacificSport. "We traditionally have fewer volunteers than the larger cities, but per team, our drivers do as many or more rides than the campaigns operating in the Lower Mainland." The B.C. Crime Prevention Association teamed up with nonprofit organizations to provide safe rides to B.C.

motorists this holiday season. Provincially, Operation Red Nose operated in eight regions and provided 2774 rides throughout the month of December with the support of the Autoplan Broker Road Safety program, ICBC and BCCPA. Visit www.operationrednose.com for a full review of the Provincial program and or for more information call PacificSport- Nanaimo KIDS' CAMP, NUTRITION CLASSES OUTREACH PROGRAMS 1 (800) 665-6526 INFORMATION, RESEARCH ADVOCACY 1 (800) 268-4656 www.diabetes.ca Please help. 1 (800) 665-6526 They need your help. Christian Children's Fund of Canada is responding to the disaster in south Asia.

Working with our partners, we are providing emergency relief and restoring lives. Fund of Canada Please give 1-800-263-5437 ccfcanada.ca 1027 McNicoll Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M1W 3X2 Know who to turn to CANADIAN I ASSOCIATION DIABETES CANACXENNE ASSOCIATION I DU DUBETE.