Desbarats Christmas Bird Count
Spend a winter’s day exploring nature and helping track local bird populations. Participants work together to record all the different bird species seen or heard within a single day, contributing to one of North America’s longest-running citizen science projects. Whether you’re an experienced birder or just starting out, it’s a great way to enjoy the outdoors, learn about local wildlife, and make a real difference for bird conservation.
Started in 1900, the Christmas Bird Count is North America’s longest-running citizen science project. Counts take place in more than 2,000 localities throughout the western hemisphere. The information collected by thousands of volunteer participants forms one of the world’s largest sets of wildlife survey data. The results are used daily by conservation biologists and naturalists to assess population trends and the distribution of birds, helping to monitor and conserve North America’s bird populations.
For more information about Christmas Bird Counts in general or to find another count, visit the Bird Canada website for Canada or the Audubon website for the United States.
What is the Christmas Bird Count?
Participants should be prepared to commit part or all of the count day as either a field observer or feeder watcher somewhere within the count circle.
Field observers cover a portion of the count circle on their own or with a small group, counting all the birds they find.
Feeder watchers count birds at their feeders for a portion of the day.
The count circle has a 12km radius, centred around the former Central Algoma Land Trust office trailer (currently Loonie Toons Pontoons & Powersports) in Desbarats, ON. In addition to Desbarats, the circle count also includes the towns of Richards Landing, Hilton Beach, and Bruce Mines.
How to Participate
Map of the Desbarats Chirstmas Bird Count count circle
The next Desbarats Christmas Bird Count is scheduled to take place on December 27, 2025. If you are interested in participating, please fill out the appropriate form below. For more information, please contact Jazmin at jazmin@calt.ca or 705-782-2200.
Next Count
Register as Field Observer
Register as Feeder Watcher
The Desbarats Christmas Bird Count began in 2016 and has run every year since then. View the complete dataset from the Desbarats Christmas Bird Count by clicking the button below.