The Blue Heron is the BFN's newsletter that provides meeting and trips summaries, sightings by BFN members and many other interesting items.  If you have an article or report to submit for the Blue Heron please email the editor Brian Gibbon

The current issue of the Blue Heron was distributed to BFN members in spring 2010

In 1900, American ornithologist Frank Chapman asked birders across North America to head out on Christmas Day to count the birds in their home towns and submit the results as the first "Christmas Bird Census." His suggestion has evolved into one of the largest organized birding events in the world, and a holiday tradition during the Christmas season for over 50,000 birders each year.

The Christmas Bird Count, as it is now called, is conducted in over 2000 localities across Canada, the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. These bird observations, collected during one-day field counts within defined circular areas, have been amassed into a huge database that reflects the distribution and numbers of winter birds over time.

For many years, the Christmas Bird Count was organized at the continental scale by the New York-based National Audubon Society. In 2000, Audubon and Bird Studies Canada (BSC) finalized an agreement that would see BSC partner with Audubon to coordinate counts in Canada country.

BFN members participate in the annual Christmas Bird Count. Teams are assigned to each area and carry out their counts from early morning, some beginning with owls, to late afternoon. A follow-up pot luck dinner caps a great day.

Results from previous years can be viewed by clicking on the links below 

2007 CBC

2008 CBC

PDF Map of Barrie CBC Area