Join the Christmas Bird Count

Audubon’s 125th Christmas Bird Count will be held from December 14, 2024 to January 5, 2025

Many thanks to Karla for sending me the information regarding the above event.

What it’s all about…
Frank Chapman and 26 other conservationists initiated the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) as a way of promoting conservation by counting, rather than hunting, birds on Christmas Day of 1900.

All Christmas Bird Counts are conducted between December 14 to January 5, inclusive dates, every year. Each circle compiler will choose a single calendar day within those dates and your CBC birding is done on only one calendar day for each.

There is a specific methodology to the CBC, and all participants must make arrangements to participate in advance with the circle compiler, but the CBC is open to all!

Each count takes place in an established 15-mile diameter circle and is organized by a count compiler. Count volunteers follow specified routes through a designated 15-mile (24-km) diameter, counting every bird they see or hear all day. It’s not just a species tally—all birds are counted, giving an indication of the total number of birds they see that day.

If your home is within the boundaries of a CBC circle, then you can stay at home and report the birds that visit your feeder on count day as long as you have made prior arrangement with the count compiler.

Anyone can propose a new CBC circle as long as there is space to add one without overlapping other circles (Overlapping circles established previous to 2001 are exempted and those compilers coordinate closely). Please make sure to read the requirements and follow the application process here. Be aware that establishing a new circle is a long-term commitment.

And even if you can’t participate, you may be interested in getting involved in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) organized by Audubon, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada. It takes place President’s Day weekend each February, and you can count the birds each day in your backyard/community and then enter the results online. I’m already a member, so I submit lists of birds and photographs, throughout the year, and participate in their GBBC events.