Fire up your binoculars: The 100th Ottawa Christmas Bird Count takes place this Sunday

Ottawa reaches a milestone this Sunday, and people will celebrate by heading out on foot before dawn into the cold and snow to listen for owls.
They are unlikely to hear any. Owls are rare in the city, but the Christmas Bird Count rules say you spend all day looking for whatever birds are around, and that includes the owls.
After sunrise, you tromp around until late afternoon recording all the birds you see — how many species and how many individuals of each. Along the way, there’s a