The next chapter of Whistler’s feathered guestbook

Photo caption: Members of the Whistler Naturalists observe the spring migration of birds at Green Lake. L-R Kris Shoup, Barb Robson, Karl Ricker, Alex Kleinman. Photo credit: Maeve Jones

Karl Ricker is Whistler’s champion of local bird data, and as he prepares to retire from his post as record- keeper, I’m reaching out to the whole community to contribute your sightings so we can continue his legacy. Will you share your eyes and ears on our feathered visitors and residents?

Karl leaves big shoes to fill. Since the 1990s, he has kept detailed, centralized notes on bird species in Whistler: recording when they arrive in the spring, when they leave in the fall, and when they appear in large or unusual numbers. Thanks to him, we know the first Mountain Bluebird arrives within two weeks of April 15th, Bank Swallows no longer visit Whistler, and Peregrine Falcons can sometimes be seen in the bluffs behind Shadow Lake. Karl’s own notes include observations from other naturalists, together with historic bird data going back as far as 1920.

This makes him a walking library of ornithological lore; Whistler’s human eBird. Even today, at age 89, he contributes more birds to our seasonal species counts than any other individual observer. And now, our local bird data is getting crowdsourced. Karl has asked me to step in as steward of seasonal species counts, and to do that, I’m collecting observations from a wide array of local birdwatchers.

So far, the results are good! This fall season, September 1 to November 30, 2025, the Whistler Naturalists logged a record number of 135 bird species seen – shattering the previous record of 125 species, counted in fall 2020. To put that into context, the average species count for the fall season is 102 species. Our record is especially remarkable given that we saw fewer numbers of individual birds of any species (except for Widgeons and American coots).

How did we manage a record species count? The answer might be collaboration. Over seventy members of the community, including Karl, shared their sightings and records, and together we checked a lot off our regional list. By using the internet and social media to share sightings and reports, as well as existing networks of eyes and ears, together we covered a lot of bird-ground. Two notable species we did not see in 2025 were a Northern Shrike and Peregrine Falcon.

Do you have observations to add to our feathered guestbook? We’d love to know, what are you seeing? What are you hearing? When and where did you see it? And how many?

Birders pause for a photo during a Green Lake bird walk on April 19th, 2025 (L-R Barb Robson, Maeve Jones, Karl Ricker, Kris Shoup, Monica Suares). Photo credit: Kristina Swerhun

Your observations help track long-term patterns and changes in bird activity. They help us continue the legacy of a 100-year-old feathered census for the Whistler area. And they keep our scientific community alive with hard numerical data on key indicators of ecosystem health – birds. You can share your sightings with the Whistler Naturalists Dataset (aka ‘Karl’s list’) by emailing whistlernaturalists@gmail.com. Or write in our Facebook group “Whistler Naturalists Community.” 

The Whistler Naturalists Society hosts a community bird walk on the first Saturday of every month at 9am at the bottom of Lorimer Road. We are a friendly and approachable group, sharing experiences while observing nature. (The start time shifts with daylight. Check whistlernaturalists.com for the most up-to-date time each month.)

For contributing to species counts this season, I give special thanks to Karl Ricker, Ellen Ramsey, Liz Barrett, Nicole McHugh, Jim Wharin, Barb Robson, Monica Suarez, Margie and Mark, Victor Alfonso, Jay Baumann, Paddy Deegan, Liz Francis, Griffin Duckworth, Kris Shoup, Thomas Demarco, and the many young eyes and ears joining us. I also recognize Kristina Swerhun and Shawn Mason for making enormous contributions to facilitate this citizen science.

Written by Maeve Jones

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