Hudson Christmas Bird Count

The 72st Hudson Christmas Bird Count will be on Saturday December 29

The count takes place in the area shown on this map

Interested in taking part? Then contact the compiler, Jean Demers by email

It started in 1939 and was done every year except 1951 and 1952 for reasons unknown. Over the years we observed 139 different species. In 2006 we had our greatest number of species 67 and our highest number of birds 16,031. Four species were seen every year, Hairy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee and the White-breasted Nuthatch. Ruffed Grouse, House Sparrow and American Tree Sparrow 69 times, Downy Woodpecker, European Starling 70 times. Anybody interested in seeing all the data, detailed or summarized in an Excel format can contact me, e-mail and I will forward to you

This year the collation for the after count will be held at the St-Hubert 601 avenue St-Charles Vaudreuil.

Highway 40 going east, take exit 35 and the restaurant will be on your left. This link will take you to a map showing its location:

We will be in a little room to the left of the entrance. Some food will be available: onion rings, chicken wings, Nachos, mini-brochettes, mini-spring rolls etc. The room will be available from 16:00 to 19:00. If anybody prefers a full meal and drink, you will have to pay for it.

The Hudson circle: The Hudson circle is centered at the Cooper airport in St-Lazare and has a 24 km diameter. It covers cities like Vaudreuil, Dorion, Les Cèdres, Coteau-du-Lac, St-Clet, obviously Hudson and a small part of Oka.

Participation: You can participate in the Hudson Christmas Bird Count either in the field or in the warmth of your home as feeder-watcher. It is a very rewarding experience either way you choose and you are helping in gathering very important data.

Feeder-watcher: If you are already familiar with feeder counts, we are particularly interested in attracting Project Feeder-Watch participants. However even if you are not already a Project Feeder-Watch participant, and want to get involved, please feel free to participate. There are no entry restrictions.

You will find a list of instructions on how to participate by following the link on top of the page (same instructions as the Montreal Christmas Bird Count) and you can also download our feeder checklist. There is no charge for being a Feeder-watcher and you do not have to be a member of a bird, nature or environmental group. However we ask that you ensure first that you reside within our Count Circle. Please contact me for confirmation if you are really within the circle.

Field participants: There is no charge this year, however if you want to help Bird Studies Canada, you can give a little contribution, easily done on their website: The names of all field participants are included in the results published by the National Audubon Society.

If you want to participate, please contact me and I will assigned you to one of our 17 parties. Normally the count starts at dawn, not very early at this time of the year. You will be compiling all the birds you see, by species and by number of each, don’t worry you will be with an experienced birder. Detailed instructions will be provided to all the field participants. - Jean Demers Compiler