Birders will be singing a swan song on Sunday, but it's by no means a sad farewell.
On the contrary, the annual swan count day is one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the Prince George Naturalist Club's calendar and anyone interested is encouraged to join them.
The club, and those who want to come along with them, meet at 9 a.m. at the Spruceland Shopping Centre sign and carpool out to their usual swan-watching spots to count all the heads at the end of those curvaceous, long, white necks. The numbers, added up and compared over time, tell a story about local environment patterns.
"Over the years we've learned where the water is open and where they like to be. We've done it in all kinds of weather conditions, all kinds of temperatures," said trip leader Sandra Kinsey who has been involved in the swan count for more than 30 years.
"We used to get 60 swans pretty regularly, but in the last number of years it's fluctuated between 10 and 30 birds," Kinsey said. "It could be because the temperatures overall have been warmer so they can go to more rivers. The populations are generally doing well, based on the trumpeter swan information we get provincially and nationally, and the other birders we talk too, so something is happening in where they locate themselves."
The human head count for the swan search fluctuates from year to year. Kinsey said there have been upwards of 15 people at times, and as few as five.
They allot vehicles to drive out to the swan spots based on how many participants gather.
Everyone who comes along is asked to dress with appropriate layers and clothing material for the weather. Sunday's forecast is for subzero temperatures, but balmy ones. Minus-5 and cloudy is the anticipated weather. The estimated time of return from the avian accounting effort is about 3 p.m.
There will be some standing around by roadsides, walking into spots along the shore, and some snowshoe trekking as well but nobody is required to take part in things with which they are uncomfortable. It's not a test of endurance, it is baseline data gathering for grassroots science. Pack a good lunch, and bring along cameras and binoculars if you wish.
"The swan count has been going on 35 years at least, I have to confirm that for sure for the big anniversary next year. We send in the information we collect to a fellow in Kamloops who collates the data," said Kinsey.
"Next year will be our 50th Christmas bird count," she said. This annual event is the citywide snapshot of the overall bird population. "Mark it on your calendar now, it'll be Dec. 17. We're going to make a big deal out of it, since it's a big anniversary. It was the first event the (Prince George Naturalist Club held when the club got going."
For more information on the Swan Count and the club's many activities, email [email protected].
