Hi Ontbirds;
Winter birding has become a very popular
activity among Canadian birders. The origins of
this slightly insane behaviour apparently date
from southern Ontario in the 50's and 60's, but
the sport's appeal really took off with the
promotion afforded it by Gerry Bennett in the
1980's, through his "Birdfinding in Canada" newsletter.
Winter Birding remains popular today. The
winter period comprises the three months of
December through February, matching the reporting
period of "North American Birds". Winter Birding
web pages are maintained for nine of ten
provinces in Canada, as follows, from east to west:
http://tinyurl.com/2jqo5p Newfoundland and Labrador
http://tinyurl.com/2u2ulg Nova Scotia
http://tinyurl.com/3bkhwz Prince Edward Island
http://tinyurl.com/36hpe4 New Brunswick
http://tinyurl.com/2ngu7n Québec
???? Ontario
http://tinyurl.com/yjtx52 Manitoba
http://tinyurl.com/2qde59 Saskatchewan
http://tinyurl.com/yke4sl Alberta
http://tinyurl.com/33bmzc British Columbia
But Ontario, where the activity began, does not
have a winter birding page. Disappointing, and
slightly ironic. The rest of the provinces are
not keeping track as a competition (because BC
always wins), but simply to encourage birders to
explore their home provinces during a time of
year when many would prefer to linger
indoors. A couple of provinces have even
started the DOWL, the Dead Of Winter List,
tracking all sightings during the month of February.
There are also winter birding pages for:
http://tinyurl.com/y45kl5 French islands of Saint-Pierre et Michelon
http://tinyurl.com/2sprtm Iceland
http://tinyurl.com/2wp4sa Ottawa / Gatineau region
So, does anyone wish to start an Ontario winter
birding page? The rest of Canada's provinces
would love to have you join the party, which begins in less than two weeks.
Good (winter) birding,
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blake Maybank
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Editor, "Nova Scotia Birds"
author, "Birding Sites of Nova Scotia"
http://maybank.tripod.com/BSNS.htm
White's Lake, Nova Scotia
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