Christmas Bird Count

Introduction

“From December 14 through January 5 each year, tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas will take part in an adventure that has become a family tradition among generations. Families and students, birders and scientists, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists will head out on an annual mission - often before dawn. For over one hundred years, the desire to both make a difference and to experience the beauty of nature has driven dedicated people to leave the comfort of a warm house in the middle of winter.”  National Audubon Society

In King County, Eastside Audubon, Seattle Audubon, and Rainier Audubon all hold Christmas Bird Counts every year.  Information for Eastside Audubon is listed here.

Who Can Participate?

We welcome anyone who wants to help - from beginner to expert.
All you do is:

• Go to the 2009 Christmas Bird Count page
• Join one of the 8 teams of bird counters
• Show up on the third Saturday of December with your $5 donation 

What Will I be Doing and What Should I Bring?

Can I Count Birds At Home Instead?

If you would prefer to count birds in your backyard, be sure to count for at least two consecutive hours. E-mail your count numbers to Hugh Jennings at h2ouzel@comcast.net or telephone Hugh at 425-746-6351.  Leave a message with your results. You must call in your tally by 5:00 p.m. on the day of the Christmas Bird Count.

Where and When do We Tally the Results?

After the bird count, everyone is invited to join other Eastside Audubon members for a warm, wholesome dinner.  All count results will be tallied at the dinner.

Why Are We Counting Birds?

“From feeder-watchers and field observers to count compilers and regional editors, everyone who takes part in the Christmas Bird Count does it for love of birds and the excitement of friendly competition -- and with the knowledge that their efforts are making a difference for science and bird conservation.” 

‘Each of the citizen scientists who take “part in the Christmas Bird Count makes an enormous contribution to conservation. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations - and to help guide conservation action.”  National Audubon Society
 
Tallies from our CBC will be combined with counts taken throughout the country. Birds will also be counted in Central America to keep track of migrants.

What is the $5 Fee Used For?

Everyone is encouraged to support National Audubon by donating the $5.00 Christmas Bird Count fee. These funds will go directly towards the cost of generating materials for compilers, producing the annual CBC summary issue, and maintaining the Christmas Bird Count website and database. Only those paying the $5.00 are reported as participants in the National Audubon Christmas Bird Count. The count leaders will collect your fees on Eastside Audubon's behalf.

Resources

• National Audubon
• Learn how data from the Christmas Bird Count helps birds
• View results from last year's count or historical results
• Washington Ornithological Society
• All Christmas Bird Counts in Washington State are listed by date at WACBC
• Eastside Audubon
• Previous Christmas Bird Count Highlights
• Car Signs