The first Christmas Bird Count began on Christmas Day 1900, when Frank Chapman, an ornithologist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, proposed it as an alternative to the long-standing tradition of hunting birds on Christmas.

Twenty-seven people in 25 different locations across the continent participated that first year and counted about 90 species. Today the Christmas Bird Count takes place annually any time between December 14 and January 5, and typically more than 30,000 people in groups worldwide count over 2,400 species-about 65 to 70 million birds each year. Each group’s data is compiled at a Compilation Gathering that afternoon by the data compiler. CBC data directly helps conservation efforts to protect birds. Many think that the fact that some 1,300 bird species face extinction signals a threat to the health of our environment. The results of our CBC are an early warning report.

This year, Audubon Everglades Christmas Bird Count day is December 30.  Chuck Weber is again serving as our CBC Organizer and Data Compiler. Our 15-mile diameter “count circle” is subdivided into “count areas,” each with a team leader. Teams include both experienced birders and less-experienced birders (who can help with keeping the tally of the birds the other team members call out). If you are interested in participating in the CBC, please contact us ASAP at info@AudubonEverglades.org. There are many areas where you can help.

After a day in the field, all participants are invited to attend the compilation meeting/dinner to feast, relax, chat with other birders, and find out how the count went. It is a lot of fun. We love hearing about the rare birds other teams report and sometimes being able to report a rarity or two our team saw. Often we hear about a new birding location in our area’s circle we were not aware of.  

The Compilation Gathering will start at approximately 5:30 PM in the activity room at Epiphany Lutheran Church and School, 4460 Lyons Road, Lake Worth, FL  33467. This year, Audubon Everglades is providing the food. We are starting the meeting earlier, and we are encouraging you to bring your spouses or significant others and to come directly from the field in your birding clothes. Fees: none!  So, no excuses!  All we ask is that you RSVP using the following link so we know how much food to have.  

Audubon Everglades CBC Compilation Gathering (Click to RSVP)

Spend the day helping to count birds in Palm Beach County and end the CBC at an evening social with your fellow birders, sharing stories about your team’s findings and seeing how many species we can find in our count circle this year. We have an exciting group of younger birders, who are blazing the trails this year and finding a lot of wonderful birds.  This should be a great year for our CBC!