Christmas Bird Count scouting trip

I believe we had about 8" of snow yesterday. This photo was taken in the morning yesterday, when I was part of a small group that scouted an area of the city ready for the actual Calgary Christmas Bird Count that takes part next Sunday, December 18th. This winter scene was taken near the Elbow River, not all that far from downtown. Though the whole day was horribly grey and overcast, it was just beautiful walking in the falling snow. The temperature wasn't too bad, which made it quite pleasant, in fact. Of course, when you spend time with good company, it makes any time enjoyable and special. Not sure yet of exactly how many species we found, but our group saw roughly 15 species, including a Bald Eagle, Merlin, Red Crossbill, Redpolls, one Wood Duck, and all the usual Chickadees, Nuthatches, Mallards, Canada Geese, etc.. We returned to the main leader's house for a delicious lunch of home-made soup and different breads and cheeses, and various other goodies, including a lovely cake, made by Lyn! The coffee never tasted so good after our four-hour, winter walk!Thanks so much, Aileen, for having us all back to your place (as you do every year on this Count), and for all your hard work preparing this lunch-time feast for us. It was so much appreciated and enjoyed!

"The first count, in 1900, was started as a revolt to the traditional "Side Hunt" held on Boxing Day, wherein groups of gunners went afield to shoot and kill as much wildlife as possible. Presumably the team that killed the most species was declared the winner. Already by that time the Labrador Duck, Great Auk, Heath Hen, Passenger Pigeon and Carolina Parakeet were extinct or so reduced in numbers in the wild that they were close to it. As a result, in many ways, we have all been the losers. Fortunately the idea of the CBC has caught on and the Side Hunt became so repugnant that it disappeared.

Today, there are over 2000 CBCs conducted in USA, Canada, West Indies, Mexico, Central and increasingly South America, with thousands of participants. The information so garnered in this voluntary citizen-science project is invaluable for many scientific studies."