If you see groups of people with binoculars and clipboards at the waterfront here's why.
The Brereton Field Naturalists' Club annual Christmas Bird Count is being held and birders will be out with their eyes to the skies.
The count covers a circle centred at Bradford Greenhouses and stretches to Minesing in the north, Angus to the west, just beyond Barrie city limits to the east and just south of Thornton.
Typically nine teams of birders survey a section within the 7.5-mile radius of Barrie and record individual numbers and species of birds during the day.
The data goes into a huge international database to be used by scientists to study climate change and track trends.
You can also count birds at backyard feeders.
For more information visit the Brereton Field Naturalists' Club Facebook or go to their website Brereton Field Naturalists' Club.
