International Migratory Bird Day 2022 will be celebrated in North America on Saturday, May 14, 2022 and it is designated as a day to reflect on the amazing travels of many bird species from wintering to breeding sites. It is also to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining significant and predictable feeding and nesting opportunities for these birds to thrive.

We have chosen this day for our second Big Day Bird Count as a way for many of us to get to know our bird neighbours better. Last year’s inaugural count was very successful, and participants had a wonderful time getting out and having a casual day of observing the Spring birds of our area. This time of year we will be seeing the wave of migrant species flowing north from warmer climes while many overwintering birds that we see in our Christmas count move north. The Big Day results give us a snap shot of the species that use our area for migratory stopover and those that stay here to breed.

How to participate

The beauty of this count is that it is easy to participate – all you have to do is go out on May 14^th and do some birding for as long as you desire. The count period is the 24 hours of May 14^th for those who wish to do owling or catch the Dawn Chorus (pre-dawn). Your responsibilities are:

• Let Michael know you are participating and how many, if you are part of a team.
• Commit to a timeframe (e.g. 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, all-day?) and count as many different species as you can see in that timeframe.
• Record those species on a list.
• Send your completed list to Michael Dunn, mjechael.dunn@gmail.com

How to do your count

This is the fun part. You can do your count solo or in a team. Family groups are most welcomed. If you choose to team up with others give yourselves a name. Be creative!

Only one list for each team is necessary, so designate a recorder for your team.

In terms of the area to count, it is your choice. You can go anywhere on the island to count birds and not worry about overlap with other birders. As we are doing only species, overlap is fine as a final list of different species seen will be compiled from all the lists submitted.

Let’s celebrate!

The plan is to gather at Dinner Bay Park Adachi Pavilion, starting around 5:30 p.m. and with a light meal provided ending around 7:00 pm. This will be an opportunity to share your lists and stories and have some food. For health safety, please bring your own dishes, cutlery and refreshments. There will be prizes for most birds recorded by an individual and a team, best team name and the selection of the bird species of the count.

What happens to the results?

All the lists submitted will be used to compile a single list of the total species seen on May 14^th. This list will be posted on the eBird website for such lists so it will be accessible to birders all around the world. Also a summary of the Big Day Count will be posted on the Conservancy website.