Kildeer at Red Point photo by Waldron Leard

The fun for me is recording what I see. There are many journals available with check lists. Most of the birding guides have a place on the bottom of each page to make notations. Software is also available. I preferred to develop my own, which is acceptable. I keep three journals. One is a daily form, which travels with me in a diary and on a jump drive. My second journal is my life list. Each sighting new to me is entered. In July 2008, I have 109 different birds listed, from seven different countries. The third is a bird count list. I keep an annual record of everything I see. As an example, in 2007, I sighted 23 Coots, 91 Reed Warblers and 1786 Herring Gulls in 365 days. There are Christmas bird counts each year around in the world. Click on the link on the left to view a story about a Prince Edward Island event. This is an example of the form I use. It is nice to make your own! I have a fourth form prepared for a rare sighting. I record all the details I am able to gather, then submit it to the local society. In Prince Edward Island, anything you discover should be forwarded to the

Date Time Location - GPS Weather Species Photo Notes Special Notes - - - - - - -

Date & Time	Weather	Location & GPS	Binoculars	Camera/Video
-	-	-	-	-
Habitat	Location within Habitat	Distance	Duration	Confidence
-	-	-	-	-
Activity	Distinguishing Features	Size	Bill Shape	Vocalizations
-	-	-	-	-
Head	Neck	Eyes	Stripes	Back
-	-	-	-	-
Wings	Wing Bars	Underparts	Tail Shape	Legs
-	-	-	-	-

Migratory Routes Carolyn Smith In North America, there are migration flyways or pathways. They run from north to south across Canada. The Atlantic flyway is what affects P.E.I. Canada is a large country. Not every species that visits or calls Canada home, may be seen in P.E.I. Occasionally a few will stray from another flyway and visit the Island. An American Pelican's visit to Black Pond, in May 2006, is an example. Pacific Central Mississippi Atlantic

American Pelican photo by Waldron Leard

Birding seasons do not follow the calendar. Not all activity follows within these dates. Weather conditions, such as winter storms and hurricanes play a part in movement and settlement. The table below reflects most birds.

SP - Spring March 16 - May 31 Northerly Migration

SU - Summer June 1 - August 25 Nesting Season

AU - Autumn August 16 - Dec. 14 Southerly Migration

WI - Winter Dec. 15 - March 15 Varied Activity

Species Sightings Frequency Abbreviations

VC Very common 50+ per day C Common 10-49 per day FC Fairly common 1-9 per day

U Uncommon 1-12 per fortnight R Rare 1-5 per season O Occasional 1-9 per decade

A Accidental 9 or fewer per century H Hypothetical Unconfirmed sighting IR Irregular Unpredictable

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