Many birds will display winter plumage during the Christmas Bird Count, like this Pacific Loon. Search flocks of Canada Geese to find a pair of smaller Cackling Geese among them (photographs by Paul Konrad). Like this Red Knot, seasonal changes in coloration will test the identification powers of birders during the Christmas Bird Count – but that’s a big part of the fun of participating in the CBC.

For the 120th year, the National Audubon Society is organizing its annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC), which will take place between December 14 and January 5. Tens of thousands of birders will participate in count events across the Western Hemisphere to add to the 12 decades of data collected by participants that help inform ornithologists and conservationists about actions that may be required to protect birds and the habitats they need. Participation is open to birders of all skill levels, and it’s a great way for beginners to get partnered with more advanced birders to make this an exceptional experience.

Each individual count takes place within a 15-mile-wide circle and is led by a compiler, who is responsible for picking the day to conduct the Count, organizing volunteers, and submitting a list of birds observed and counted directly to Audubon. Within each circle, participants tally all the birds they see and/or hear that day – not just the species observed, but the total numbers each species, to provide a clear idea of the health of each population.

In the Beginning – On Christmas Day in 1900, early Audubon leader Dr. Frank Chapman began a new holiday tradition that counted birds during the Christmas season. Today, 120 years later, the tradition continues and still brings out the best in people as they cooperate within birding communities to contribute valuable data that biologists can use and study over time (decades in some cases).

“The Christmas Bird Count is a great tradition and an opportunity for everyone to be a part of 120 years of ongoing community science,” said Geoff LeBaron, Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count director, who began leading the CBC’s efforts in 1987. “Adding your observations to 12 decades of data helps scientists and conservationists discover trends that make our work more impactful. Participating in the Christmas Bird Count is a fun and meaningful way to spend a winter day for anyone and everyone.”

When combined with other surveys such as the Breeding Bird Survey, Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count provides a picture of how the continent's bird populations change over time and space during the past hundred-plus years. The long-term perspective is vital for conservationists. It informs strategies to protect birds and their habitats, and helps identify environmental issues with implications for people and human populations.

A brand new feature for this year’s 120th Christmas Bird Count will be “CBC Live,” a crowd-sourced, hemisphere-wide storytelling function using Esri mapping software. Using this “story-map,” users will upload a photo taken during their Christmas Bird Count as well as a short anecdote to paint a global picture of the Christmas Bird Count in real time.

Big Stats – Last year during the 119th Christmas Bird Count, participants counted birds in a record-setting 2,615 count circles including 1,975 CBCs in the United States, 460 in Canada and 180 in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Pacific islands. 2018 was the 9th straight year of record-breaking counts. A total of 79,425 observers in the field and watching feeders tallied more than 48 million birds representing more than 2,600 different species – more than one-quarter of the world’s known avifauna. Approximately 5 percent of the North American landmass was surveyed by the Christmas Bird Count. Last year CBC birders even found 2 new species to the grand total of birds seen during the years of CBCs conducted in the United States – a Little Stint in San Diego and a Great Black Hawk in Portland, Maine.

Join the Fun – The Audubon Christmas Bird Count is a community science project organized by the National Audubon Society. There is no fee to participate, and Counts are open to birders of all skill levels – it’s a great way for beginners to get partnered with more advanced birders to make this an exceptional learning experience. For more information, visit https://www.audubon.org/news/audubon-invites-you-celebrate-120-years-annual-christmas-bird-count and to find a CBC cooperator near you, see https://audubon.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=ac275eeb01434cedb1c5dcd0fd3fc7b4

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