The Christmas Bird Count

Every December-January, SCVBA sponsors four local Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs), part of a world-wide community science project coordinated by the National Audubon Society that started 125 years ago! Organizations use data collected in this long-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations and to help guide conservation action.

On the day of the CBC, small groups of birders go out to an assigned territory to count all individual birds of each species seen. Together, these groups cover a 15-mile-diameter circle, gathering data on bird populations in that area.

We encourage all birders to sign up for the CBC and get out birding. Counters with less experience are teamed with those more experienced; photographers are encouraged to document birds seen; and while most birding groups cover several miles, a few do stationary counts. Even if beginning birders can't identify every bird, they provide important "extra eyes" in finding birds. (Note: while beginner birders are welcome to join CBC activities, this is not a teaching opportunity.)

2025-26 Christmas Bird Count Dates have not yet been set. Stay tuned!

Here are the results for the 2024-25 CBC:

2024-25 TABLE — an aggregation of the results from all four Christmas Bird Counts

MORE INFORMATION

Read about how the data are used and about the histories of our counts. Also see our Highlights and tables for past Christmas Bird Counts.

If you’re new to the Christmas Bird Count, the writeups from previous years can help you understand what the experience is like! Check out all the writeups, including pictures and tables of all birds observed each year. Here are write-ups for previous counts:

Banner photo: East side of Mount Hamilton, 2023 Mount Hamilton CBC by Pete Dunten