Green Heron ©2004 Royce Howland

Bird Study Group - Species Counts

2005 Calgary and Area May Species Count Archive

Compiler: Milt Spitzer

The 2005 Calgary and Area May Species count took place on May 28 and 29. This count has been conducted annually since 1976, covering a circular area with an 80 kilometre radius centred on the Centre Street Bridge. The count always takes place on the weekend following the long weekend in May.

In all, a total of 66 participants surveyed a total of 14 areas within the city of Calgary and another 28 areas in the countryside. A total of 200 species were tallied while the total count was 58,000 individuals. The record number of species of 216 was recorded in 2002 but this year's count was still the third highest on record. This year's total number of birds was a record and reflects the extraordinary effort of the large number of participants in the survey. Two species new to the count were tallied: a Northern Hawk-Owl and a Boreal Owl.

Detailed PDF report of this year's survey.

Tables in PDF format indicating numbers of individuals per species and historical numbers.

Click on the links below for route by route tabulation. Also see:

All Areas, Historical Totals for years 2000 to present
All Areas, Historical Totals for years 1979 to 1999

The content of the tables associated with the May Species Count is arranged in the same order as it is in the Systematic Checklist. To find a specific species within the table, press Ctrl + F on your keyboard, type the name in the dialogue box, and press enter.

Back to the Species Counts page