The Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count (CBC) returns for another year where the public can participate in a tradition of appreciating and protecting feathered friends.
The bird count is a long-standing tradition bringing together bird enthusiasts of all levels across North America. Instead of tallying bird species, people participating count every bird they see or hear in the entire day.
This year marks the 125th CBC where the public can play a crucial role for avians in the winter migratory season. The CBC began on Dec. 14 but runs until Jan. 5, with counts taking place throughout Oregon and Washington.
Already, a full contingent of bird watchers participated in a local bird count for Sauvie Island on Dec. 15. The local count included areas along the Oregon side of the Columbia River but also Washington’s Vancouver Lake area, the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge and the Lewis River near Woodland and La Center.
Designated zones for bird counts like the Sauvie Island-centered bird count are 15-mile diameter circles. Volunteers give the scientists an idea of the total number of birds in an area on the day of the count, according to the Audubon Society.
Other counts, including a Portland centered-circle, is slated for Jan. 4. To sign up, email clarson@audubonportland.org. As well, a Longview-area bird count will take place on Dec. 28. To sign up, email beckkt@comcast.net. For more information on bird counts, visit gis.audubon.org/christmas birdcount/.
The event has been running for over a century, beginning on Christmas day in 1900, making it one of the longest-running citizen science projects in the world.
“The majority of refuges are within a Christmas Bird Count circle, which is wonderful because CBCs are one of the world’s oldest examples of citizen scientists contributing to wildlife conservation,” Mike Carlo, a visitor services specialist for the National Wildlife Refuge System and avid birder, said in a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service article, last year.
The data collected over the century has provided valuable insights into the health and wellbeing of various bird species, according to the article. It has helped identify population declines, shifts in migration patterns and the impact of habitat loss and climate change on bird populations.
For more information and to find the map of Christmas Bird Count locations across North America, visit audubon.org/con servation/join-christmas-bird-count.
People who want to help in a different way are encouraged to upload bird sightings to eBird, which lists 126 birding hotspots in Clark County alone. According to eBird, the top bird site in the area is the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge’s River S Unit, which has a species-to-date total of 240. In 2024, 182 species have been spotted in this hotspot while 93 have been spotted in December alone. Other popular locations include Washougal’s Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Vancouver Lake Lowlands. For the complete list of birding hotspots, visit ebird.org/region/US-WA-011/hotspots.
