During the December holiday season why not participate in National Audubon’s 125th Christmas Bird Count? The Christmas Bird Count, or CBC, originated as a protest to the traditional holiday “side hunt” in which teams competed to see who could shoot the most birds in one day. In 1900, twenty-seven conservationists decided to protest the side hunt by counting birds instead of shooting them.

Today there continue to be many threats to bird populations – pollution, development and population pressures, window strikes, climate change, and habitat loss. The information collected during the CBC provides valuable statistics on declines and increases in particular species, geographic shifts in winter ranges, and other indicators of the status of bird populations.

Rainier Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count will be held on Sunday, December 29th, 2024. Birders of all levels of experience are needed! This is a fun way to learn more about birds, learn about local birding spots, and to meet other birders. Several Audubon chapters around the Puget Sound run a CBC, and some people help with more than one count. The counts occur between Dec 14 and Jan 5 each winter, across North America and in other countries as well. 

Our chapter’s Count Circle is divided into eight areas plus some sub-areas. Each will be covered by a leader, if we have enough, and a Field Team of counters. You can volunteer in an area close to you or in any area within our Count Circle about which you’re curious. Dress for the weather, bring your binoculars, and have fun! A wet day? No problem. Freezing temps? Oh well. The birds might hide, but the CBC goes on!

In addition to the Field Teams, we also need Feeder Watchers to count and report all birds seen in their yards on Dec 29th. Last, and very important to the morale and success of our CBC, we’ll need volunteers for the Count Dinner Team to set up and provide a warm meal at the church where our programs occur. The dinner is for all CBC participants including Field Team, Feeder Watch and Count Dinner volunteers. It’s very fun to hear highlight stories of the day and a Tally of all species seen or heard. Please plan to attend and eat with us on Dec 29th!

Christmas Bird Count volunteers can register at the October or November Program Night at Federal Way United Methodist Church. You can also email or leave a text or voice message for Barbara Petersen at bpbatfan@aol.com, 253 389 3204. You’re sure to have a memorable experience on the Rainier Audubon 2024 Christmas Bird Count.