P.E.I. Christmas bird count moves to Hillsborough

About 15 people are out counting birds Saturday for the annual census in the Hillsborough area of P.E.I.

Saturday's event is part of a two-week census taking place on the Island a count that's been happening for 115 years.

Participants comb the countryside and count every bird they find. The information is used to track population movements and fluctuations, among other trends.

In the Hillsborough area, bird watchers are covering a 24-kilometre-wide circle from Point Prim to Rocky Point.

"We started this morning with a snowy owl on the bridge piers,which was extremely good. We've only had a few reports of them this year," said co-ordinator DanMcAskill.

"Wealso got double-crested cormorant,which at this time of year on P.E.I. is relatively rare."

The Montague bird count is scheduled for Sunday.