It’s a tradition for bird lovers in Cranbrook and Kimberley — the annual Christmas Bird counts.
This year, the Cranbrook count will be held Saturday, December 29 beginning at 8:45 am. in the Elizabeth Lake tourist info parking lot, for a pre-count meeting. There will be a post-count potluck at 4:45 p.m.
Kimberley’s count is Saturday, January 5 at 8:45 a.m., meeting at the Platzl parking lot, and a post-count potluck at 4:45 p.m.
You can travel around with a team, and/or count the birds at your feeder. All participants are invited to the potluck to meet the other counters and talk about the birds. All skill levels are welcome to come count - teams can be adjusted to ensure each team has an experienced birder. And all counters including feeder counters are welcome at the potlucks. Briefly, the day goes something like: meet-up / or start your assigned area (8:45 am), get your forms to filled in, drive/walk around looking for birds, count the birds, note your effort (time and distance travelled), finish in time to get to the potluck (4:00 -4:30 pm).
If you love bird watching and enjoying the outdoors, consider joining the counts.