Christmas Bird Counts

The Audubon Society engages in an annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) throughout the country centered on Audubon's Important Bird Areas.   These counts have been going on since 1900, when Frank Chapman, an early officer in the newly formed Audubon Society proposed a census to be repeated at the same time each year.  Previously the count was referred to as the Christmas "side hunt", where all participants would choose sides, then go afield to try to amass the largest pile of animals in order to win the competition.  Luckily, this tradition was changed to simply counting the birds and has now been going on for 113 years.  

Plumas Audubon Society organizes and executes 3 such CBC's around our area; Lake Almanor, Sierra Valley, and American Valley.  If you would like to participate in any of these counts, please contact us.

Methods: Participants follow a specified route contained within a 15 mile diameter circle, centered on a key area.  Birders count all birds they see and hear, not just compiling a species list but a census of all birds detected.  Each CBC is done in one full day between December 15th and January 5th.  Christmas bird counts enable biologists to monitor trends in distribution and diversity across the United States