Every winter, while much of the world is recovering from Christmas, people in Bamfield head outside with binoculars, notebooks and warm clothes.
They're counting birds.
Bamfield has its own annual Christmas Bird Count, part of an international citizen-science tradition that has been taking place for more than a century.
And when you live somewhere as surrounded by nature as Bamfield, counting the birds seems like a very appropriate way to begin a new year.
What Is the Christmas Bird Count?
The Christmas Bird Count is an annual survey organized across North America by Birds Canada and the National Audubon Society.
During the official count period, which runs from December 14 through January 5, thousands of volunteers head outside to identify and count birds within designated areas.
You don't have to be a scientist.
And you don't have to be an expert birder.
Experienced birders work alongside people who simply enjoy being outdoors and want to learn.
The observations collected during these counts help researchers understand how bird populations and their distributions are changing over time.
Bamfield Has Been Counting for Decades
This isn't a new tradition here.
In January 2024, Bamfield held its 37th annual Christmas Bird Count.
Twenty-four birders participated that year and counted almost 1,700 individual birds representing 59 different species.
Think about that for a moment.
Fifty-nine species.
In the middle of winter.
In our little community at the end of the road.
The most recently published Bamfield count I found was held on January 3, 2026.
The Christmas Bird Count season for 2026–27 will run from December 14, 2026 through January 5, 2027. Bamfield's individual count date is normally announced separately.
Why Is Bamfield Such an Interesting Place for Birds?
Look around.
We have the Pacific Ocean.
Bamfield Inlet.
Rocky shoreline.
Beaches.
Wetlands.
Creeks.
Islands.
And mile after mile of coastal forest.
For birds, those are very different habitats sitting remarkably close together.
Walk along the water and you may be watching seabirds.
Head into the forest and the birds change.
Walk a beach and you're looking for shorebirds.
Look up and there's a Bald Eagle riding the wind.
Sometimes you don't have to go anywhere at all.
You just have to look out the window.
What Might You See?
Over the years, Bamfield's Christmas Bird Counts have recorded an extraordinary variety of birds.
There have been Bald Eagles, Trumpeter Swans, Black Oystercatchers, Varied Thrushes, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushes, Brandt's Cormorants, Surfbirds, Spotted Sandpipers, Western Screech-Owls and Cassin's Auklets, among many others.
The combination of forest birds, shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors and seabirds is what makes birdwatching here so interesting.
And every once in a while, Bamfield produces a surprise.
That's part of the fun.
You never quite know what might appear.
You Don't Have to Know What Everything Is
I think this is important.
Birdwatching can sound intimidating when you hear experienced birders talking.
They know the call.
They recognize the silhouette.
They know whether the bird is in winter plumage.
Meanwhile, the rest of us are saying:
“There's a little brown one over there.”
That's okay.
Everybody has to start somewhere.
The lovely thing about participating with experienced birders is that you begin to learn.
You start noticing the shape of a bird.
How it flies.
Where it feeds.
Whether it stays on the water or dives beneath it.
The sound it makes.
The colour under its wings.
Suddenly you're not simply seeing birds anymore.
You're seeing individuals.
Winter Is a Wonderful Time to Pay Attention
Bamfield becomes very quiet in winter.
There are fewer visitors.
The boats are quieter.
The beaches can feel almost deserted.
The weather moves constantly through the landscape—rain, wind, fog and those beautiful unexpected stretches of winter sunshine.
And through all of it, the birds are still here.
Bundle up.
Put on your rain gear.
Take your binoculars.
Walk slowly.
Listen.
Birdwatching From Argo's Landing
Of course, you don't necessarily have to go very far.
Argo's Landing sits right on the water's edge.
From the windows and decks, we're looking directly out onto the natural world.
Eagles play in the wind.
Water birds move through the inlet.
Birds land on the docks and shoreline.
The weather changes and completely transforms the view.
Make a cup of coffee, sit by the window and keep binoculars nearby.
You might be surprised by how much you see when you simply stay still long enough to notice.
Come Count With Bamfield
If you're looking for a different reason to visit Bamfield in winter, the Christmas Bird Count might be it.
You don't need to arrive knowing the name of every bird.
Come because you're curious.
Come because you enjoy nature.
Come because you'd like to spend a winter day outside with people who can teach you something.
And perhaps come because there is something rather lovely about beginning a new year by paying attention to the living things sharing this little corner of the coast with us.
In a world that constantly asks us to hurry, birdwatching asks us to do something different.
Stop.
Look.
Listen.
You never know what might fly past.