Bald eagle and tufted duck spotted in Hamilton during backyard bird count

For 40 minutes, Bob Highcock and Jean Hampson stayed at Windermere Basin in Hamilton, hoping to catch a glimpse of the tufted duck someone reported to have seen just two days before.

While they didn't spot it, they came across 16 bird species that afternoon — from mute swans to ruddy ducks.

They reported their sightings on eBird, a platform used for the annual four-day Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) program every February.

GBBC is a "citizen science program," said Jody Allair, national manager of conservation outreach for Bird Studies Canada, an organization that helps coordinate the program.

"It's a really great tool not only to look at changing bird population and distribution, the impacts of change in climate on birds," he said.

For four days, people can record their bird sightings in one location over 15 minutes. This year in Hamilton, one person ran into a bald eagle and another person a tufted duck — a rare Eurasian bird to find in Ontario.

"Hamilton's really one of the great birding destinations in Canada," Allair said, especially noting the Windermere Basin and the "unbelievable concentration of waterfowl" wintering in the area.

On eBird, people reported 88 species over four days in Hamilton. Across Ontario there were 148 species reported and in Canada, a total of 251.

Not about finding rare birds

However, encounters with rare birds aren't the focus of the program.

The point is to involve everyone in monitoring birds, said James Lees, conservation technologist at Hamilton Conservation Authority.

"It's important to count the commoner things, in that way it gives a better understanding of what birds are doing well and what birds aren't doing well," he said.

"The numbers could be going down even though it's super common."

Lees participated for the second time in Canada this year. Prior to his time in Canada, he was an active participant in the U.K.

In England, he said the house sparrow is in a lot of trouble, despite its reputation as "a very common bird."

"Then suddenly they weren't common, and it's almost too late to react to the problem," he said.

Allair said the GBBC data is still too early to say which birds are in trouble, but they're starting to see certain trends.

There have been more birds staying in Ontario for the winter months because of the warmer weather, he said.

'A super fun thing'

It may seem odd that a birding program is scheduled in February when there aren't many birds around, but Allair said it was intentional.

There are already existing research programs covering the other seasons, where scientists conduct rigorous monitoring. However, there's a gap in between winter and spring.

"It's a perfect time of year if you want to create something that is easily digestible to people who are doing it for the first time," he said, and the high number of birds in the spring could be overwhelming for people new to this activity.

Allair described GBBC as "an entry-level program" to get everyone engaged, especially children.

And Lees agrees.

While he did his count at work, his wife and kids their own birding session.

"She got the bird book out and she did a half an hour count at my house with the kids and got them involved," he said.

The program is a way to get people interested in nature. And the experience of seeing birds can be "very exciting" for kids.

"It's a super fun thing," Lees said.