Audubon Christmas Bird Count signup has begun

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Lynzie Flynn in California submitted this photo on November 24, 2024, and wrote: “A beautiful, graceful small egret is very active in its feeding behaviors. They forage for food by shuffling their feet in the mud to bring up small fish and invertebrates in shallow water. Its legs are black but the feet are bright gold. They nest in colonies in trees, shrubs, mangroves, sometimes on or near the ground in marshes. This is one of my favorite birds to photograph. They are very entertaining, especially when juveniles.” Thank you, Lynzie! Find out how to join the Audubon Christmas Bird Count below.

The Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count is one of the longest-running citizen science projects. It had a modest beginning on Christmas Day in 1900. And it has since become a strong data-gathering project to study bird population trends. This year’s count – the 125th – runs from December 14, 2024, to January 5, 2025. You have to sign up in advance, and the signup has already begun. Go here to sign up for the Christmas Bird Count 2024.

The 2025 EarthSky lunar calendar makes a great gift. Get yours today!

Audubon Christmas Bird Count – how it’s done

The Christmas Bird Count is a carefully run event. Each count site is a 15-mile (24-km) wide circle; you can see what it looks like by zooming in on this map to inspect a region near you. Counts for each circle are organized by a “circle compiler.” On the day of the count (set by the circle’s compiler), people head out to designated routes within a circle to count every species and number of birds that they see and hear during the day. And, if you live within the range of a count site, you can also tally the birds you see in your yard and at the feeder.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Lynzie Flynn in California, captured this image on November 24, 2024, and wrote: “The belted kingfisher is often perched on a high snag or rock or anyplace that gives it a good vantage point. It forages by plunging headfirst into water, capturing fish near surface with its bill. I’ve been watching for this kingfisher each time I go to this particular location. Birds are pretty territorial and they tend to perch in the same few places. I could go back a month from now and it’s likely I’d see this same bird on the same perch or close to it.” Thank you, Lizzie!

To participate in the count – it’s free – you need to sign up with a local circle compiler at the Audubon’s website. If you’re a beginning birder, you’ll be matched up with a more experienced birder. Make sure you register early, because the compiler will need time to organize the event.

In addition, you can share your bird count photographs and experiences on social media with the hashtag #ChristmasBirdCount. We here at EarthSky would love to have you send us your photographs, too!

Audubon Christmas Bird Count history

In some parts of the U.S., there used to be bird-hunting competitions on Christmas Day. However, Frank M. Chapman, an ornithologist at the American Museum of Natural History, came up with an alternative, an activity to count birds in a given area each Christmas to build up a record of their numbers.

That first count was in 1900. Overall, 27 birders conducted counts at 25 sites, tallying about 89 bird species.

Since then, the Christmas Bird Count has come a long way. It has continued annually since the inaugural event, growing in volunteers and census sites. For instance, the 124th Christmas Bird Count took place from December 14, 2023, to January 5, 2024. That count occurred at 2,677 locations, with 83,186 volunteers in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean and Pacific Islands. Altogether, volunteers observed a total of 2,380 bird species.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Cecille Kennedy captured this in Oregon on November 13, 2024, and wrote: “Anna’s hummingbird resting on a blackberry twig. In certain lighting its gorget or neck and head feathers flash iridescent colors. Anna’s hummingbird is the only hummingbird species to stay all winter at the Oregon coast.” Thank you, Cecille.

What have we learned from these counts?

Additionally, Audubon and other research groups use Christmas Bird Count data to monitor population trends that will help guide conservation efforts. To date, scientists have published more than 300 peer-reviewed studies based on this data. The data are also used by federal agencies to craft policy on bird conservation.

Each annual count provides a snapshot of the birds at a given time and place. It’s hard to draw conclusions from one year to the next, because changes happen gradually. To understand trends, scientists do a statistical analysis of data taken over several years.

Warning signs of environmental degradation show up in declines of bird populations in some types of habitats. For instance, the sharpest declines in bird populations have been in grassland habitats, followed by coastal habitats.

Bird census data also inform scientists about the effects of climate change on wildlife. National Audubon scientists predict some species of birds in North America will be affected by climate change.

Bottom line: Audubon’s 125th Christmas Bird Count will take place from December 14, 2024, to January 5, 2025. You can join in to help collect important data about birds. Find out how to join the Audubon Christmas Bird Count.

The post Audubon Christmas Bird Count signup has begun first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/IXLyjfN

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Lynzie Flynn in California submitted this photo on November 24, 2024, and wrote: “A beautiful, graceful small egret is very active in its feeding behaviors. They forage for food by shuffling their feet in the mud to bring up small fish and invertebrates in shallow water. Its legs are black but the feet are bright gold. They nest in colonies in trees, shrubs, mangroves, sometimes on or near the ground in marshes. This is one of my favorite birds to photograph. They are very entertaining, especially when juveniles.” Thank you, Lynzie! Find out how to join the Audubon Christmas Bird Count below.

The Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count is one of the longest-running citizen science projects. It had a modest beginning on Christmas Day in 1900. And it has since become a strong data-gathering project to study bird population trends. This year’s count – the 125th – runs from December 14, 2024, to January 5, 2025. You have to sign up in advance, and the signup has already begun. Go here to sign up for the Christmas Bird Count 2024.

The 2025 EarthSky lunar calendar makes a great gift. Get yours today!

Audubon Christmas Bird Count – how it’s done

The Christmas Bird Count is a carefully run event. Each count site is a 15-mile (24-km) wide circle; you can see what it looks like by zooming in on this map to inspect a region near you. Counts for each circle are organized by a “circle compiler.” On the day of the count (set by the circle’s compiler), people head out to designated routes within a circle to count every species and number of birds that they see and hear during the day. And, if you live within the range of a count site, you can also tally the birds you see in your yard and at the feeder.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Lynzie Flynn in California, captured this image on November 24, 2024, and wrote: “The belted kingfisher is often perched on a high snag or rock or anyplace that gives it a good vantage point. It forages by plunging headfirst into water, capturing fish near surface with its bill. I’ve been watching for this kingfisher each time I go to this particular location. Birds are pretty territorial and they tend to perch in the same few places. I could go back a month from now and it’s likely I’d see this same bird on the same perch or close to it.” Thank you, Lizzie!

To participate in the count – it’s free – you need to sign up with a local circle compiler at the Audubon’s website. If you’re a beginning birder, you’ll be matched up with a more experienced birder. Make sure you register early, because the compiler will need time to organize the event.

In addition, you can share your bird count photographs and experiences on social media with the hashtag #ChristmasBirdCount. We here at EarthSky would love to have you send us your photographs, too!

Audubon Christmas Bird Count history

In some parts of the U.S., there used to be bird-hunting competitions on Christmas Day. However, Frank M. Chapman, an ornithologist at the American Museum of Natural History, came up with an alternative, an activity to count birds in a given area each Christmas to build up a record of their numbers.

That first count was in 1900. Overall, 27 birders conducted counts at 25 sites, tallying about 89 bird species.

Since then, the Christmas Bird Count has come a long way. It has continued annually since the inaugural event, growing in volunteers and census sites. For instance, the 124th Christmas Bird Count took place from December 14, 2023, to January 5, 2024. That count occurred at 2,677 locations, with 83,186 volunteers in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean and Pacific Islands. Altogether, volunteers observed a total of 2,380 bird species.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Cecille Kennedy captured this in Oregon on November 13, 2024, and wrote: “Anna’s hummingbird resting on a blackberry twig. In certain lighting its gorget or neck and head feathers flash iridescent colors. Anna’s hummingbird is the only hummingbird species to stay all winter at the Oregon coast.” Thank you, Cecille.

What have we learned from these counts?

Additionally, Audubon and other research groups use Christmas Bird Count data to monitor population trends that will help guide conservation efforts. To date, scientists have published more than 300 peer-reviewed studies based on this data. The data are also used by federal agencies to craft policy on bird conservation.

Each annual count provides a snapshot of the birds at a given time and place. It’s hard to draw conclusions from one year to the next, because changes happen gradually. To understand trends, scientists do a statistical analysis of data taken over several years.

Warning signs of environmental degradation show up in declines of bird populations in some types of habitats. For instance, the sharpest declines in bird populations have been in grassland habitats, followed by coastal habitats.

Bird census data also inform scientists about the effects of climate change on wildlife. National Audubon scientists predict some species of birds in North America will be affected by climate change.

Bottom line: Audubon’s 125th Christmas Bird Count will take place from December 14, 2024, to January 5, 2025. You can join in to help collect important data about birds. Find out how to join the Audubon Christmas Bird Count.

The post Audubon Christmas Bird Count signup has begun first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/IXLyjfN