This is the first year that Arctic Bay had a Christmas Bird Count, and I feel pretty safe in stating that we are the most northernly CBC in North America. I know from my initial enquiries for setting up a circle here that there were counts in Pond Inlet and in Nanisivik in 1978 but they have been long defunct.
The biggest challenge here during the time period that the CBC’s happen in is our light. It falls right on our darkest period of the winter. So keeping that in mind I left the date for the very last day, trying to squeeze in as much twilight as possible. Essentially we had two hours of twilight on the 5th of January when the count was held.
So at the crack of dawn (er, actually dawn wouldn’t be cracking for another month) everyone (er, actually it was only me) met at the B&B and headed out. The circle would have about 15 kms of road in it and due to the short time I had to conduct the survey, most of the counting was done by truck. As was expected ravens were the only species seen, although I came tantalizingly close to adding one more species. I had found some ptarmigan tracks near First Bridge and went for a hike to try and find them, alas to no availl. So after only two and a half hours darkness began to settle and the Ravens went to roost. In all I found 87 of them, the vast majority near dog teams and at the dump, the rest in town, the drive out to the valley at Second Bridge (the circle ends about halfway down the valley) and as far as I could get on the Victor Bay road produced no birds.
Next year, perhaps with some more participants we can cover a wider area and perhaps produce some more species. But every journey of a thousand miles begins with a step, and hopefully this step will have started an annual CBC here in the High Arctic.
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4 responses
Hey, super cool. Love the little bed symbol, too!
Sounds like the Arctic Bay CBC kicked off to a good start. I expect some people would love to be able to count 87 Ravens. Next year may well bring different results.
Hey Blogmom! Thanks, the little bed symbol is actually supposed to be the B&B. I forgot to deselect “accommodations” when I took the screen shot. I don’t know how they found us but Google Earth has included us in their latest information. They have us in the wrong place, out at the airport, but it’s pretty cool that we’d come up that way.
Thanks Bev, now I have to gear up to count ravens for the Great Backyard Bird Count.
Clare, this was fascinating to read and imagine. Until now, I hadn’t really grasped how far north you actually are. I applaud your determination and pioneering spirit, and I look forward to hearing about next year’s count.
I fantasize about visiting the world you’ve chosen to inhabit, but it will not be this year.