The Annual Hanover-Walkerton Christmas Bird Count will take place on Saturday, December 19, 2026. This annual event is a great day spent in the outdoors with friends and colleagues in pursuit of wintering birds. In the over fifty years that the event has been operating it has helped to contribute and shape one of the largest citizen science projects in the world. The data collected helps researchers studying bird populations and their ranges providing valuable data for conservation efforts. What started out as a small group of naturalists that instead of hunting birds, counted the numbers and species seen has grown into an annual tradition for many.

Participants will be given a section in which they attempt to find and identify by either sight or sound as many bird species as possible. The Hanover/Walkerton count circle is 24 kilometres in diameter based on the center point being in the hamlet of Pearl Lake, NW of Hanover. We cover various terrain and habitats in our area. Forest, fields and backyards all hold the potential for some great birding. Open water depending on weather can also be extremely productive. One never knows what we might find, recent finds on count day include Hermit Thrush, Eastern Blue-
bird, a late Osprey and a Scott’s Oriole. We also get more northerly species such as Evening Grosbeak, Common Redpoll and Snowy Owl. Although not every year these northern species when they show up are great additions to the count. Every year brings some great finds!

Birders of all skill levels are welcome to participate. We customarily take to the field by 8:00 AM. and finish around 5:00 p.m. except for “owling” which would begin earlier or continue after dark, although not everyone does owling.

If you can’t join us in the field, you can still participate by joining us as a feeder watcher and submitting your sightings via phone or email. Last year we had a member report his sightings from his hospital bed ! Now that’s dedication.

After a day in the outdoors, we will retire to tally up the numbers and species from each party as a group in Walkerton and trade stories over some warm cider and some tasty treats.

Anyone interested in participating in this wonderful event can contact me, Gerard McNaughton at 519- 881-3376 or via email at gmcnaughton@wightman.ca.