Hundreds of birders around Vermont are gearing up for this year’s Christmas Bird Count (CBC). They’ll face cold and snow to search for birds in backyards, on roadsides… places they might not normally go “birding.” At the end of the day, they will have seen more chickadees than they can remember, leaving not a single bird un-counted. But why?
Here are 7 reasons so many people participate in the CBC and reasons why you should join your local Christmas Bird Count
this year:
- Birding is fun – Most participants of the CBC enjoy watching birds. And that is what the CBC is all about!
- Furthering Conservation – Data collected through the CBC has been used in hundreds of research articles that have shed light on the abundance and distribution of winter birds, helping inform conservation decisions that help birds.
- Tradition – Now entering its 114th year, some have participated in the CBC for decades. It has even become a tradition for some families, being passed down from one generation to the next!
- Discovering Something New – Because the CBC is a complete census, participants find themselves looking for birds in places they never ordinarily would and discovering new things about their community at the same time.
- Discovering Rare Birds – With the enormous amount of effort that goes into the CBC, unusual birds are found regularly, and this can be the most exciting part! Even if you don’t find something ulta-rare, the anticipation is excitement enough!
- Good Eats – After most CBC’s, there is a potluck dinner in which participant discuss the day’s birds over a delicious home-cooked dinner. The potlucks alone are worth spending six hours in the cold!
- Making Friends – For many, the CBC is a social event and an opportunity to make new friends and catch up with old ones. After a few years of participating, CBC’s begin to feel like a family reunion.
What is your favorite reason for participating in the Christmas
Bird Count?
Find out more info about the CBC and its history,
and look below for how to find a count near you:view a map of all the count circles
Barnet
Jan. 1, 2014
Contact: Charlie Brown
cbrowne@fairbanksmuseum.org
Bennington
Dec. 28, 2013
Contact: Kevin Hemeon
mariekevinhemeon@msn.com
Brattleboro
Dec. 21, 2013
Contact: Al Merritt
chpmnkx@sover.net
Burlington
Dec. 15, 2013
Contact: Shirley Johnson
rjsj489@comcast.net
Compiler: Eric Lazarus
ericlazarus@myfairpoint.net
Champlain Islands/St. Albans
Dec. 15, 2013
Contact: Liz Alton
redbnuthatch@gmail.com
East Franklin County
NEW! The count was a pilot area last year and includes the towns of Enosburg Falls, Montgomery, and Richford.
Jan. 4, 2014
Contact: Eddy Edwards
Ferrisburgh
Dec. 14, 2013
Contact: Mike Winslow
mikekira@myfairpoint.net
Hanover-Norwich
Jan. 1, 2014
Meet in front of Hopkins Center in Hanover, N.H. at 7am
Contact: Daniel Crook
dc178@hotmail.com
Hinesburg-Huntington
Jan. 4, 2014
Contact: Paul Wieczoreck
mgcpw@gmavt.net
Island Pond
Dex. 14, 2013
Contact: Jayson Benoit
jayson@northwoodscenter.org
Lamoille County
NEW! The count was a pilot area last year.
Dec. 29, 2013
Contact: Noel Dodge
noel.dodge@gmail.comMad River Valley/Northfield
Dec. 16, 2013
Contact Pat Folsom
pfols@gmavt.net
Middlebury
Dec. 15, 2013
Contact: Jim Andrews
jandrews@middlebury.edu
Mt. Abraham
Dec. 14, 2013
Contact: Randy Durand
durand@gmavt.net
Plainfield
Dec. 14, 2013
Contact: Chip Darmstadt
chip@NorthBranchNatureCenter.org
Randolph Area
Dec. 14, 2013
Contact: Rick Enser
rickenser@yahoo.com
Rutland
Contact: Roy Pilcher
shamwariVT@aol.com
Saxton’s River
Dec. 14, 2013
Contact: Don Clark
sapsbks@gmail.com
Springfield
Dec. 15, 2013
Contact: Hugh Putnam
putnams@vermontel.net
Winhall/Windham
Dec. 14, 2013
Contact: Ruth Stewart
birder_rws@hotmail.com
Woodstock
Dec. 18, 2013
Contact: Sally Laughlin
slaughlin@myfairpoint.net
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