Be Part of a Birding Bioblitz

By Todd Burley

People visit parks for a host of reasons, but one of the most popular ones is to just be in nature. In the midst of an urban area, our parks and green spaces offer respite that is vital to our personal and social health. They also offer important habitat for urban wildlife, the most visible of which are our bird friends that dart in and out of the shrubs and flit overhead.

However, what bird species exist in our public parks, and how healthy are their populations faring? To help answer this, we wanted to share an opportunity to be part of one of the nation's oldest community science endeavors: The Christmas Bird Count (CBC).

The CBC is an annual bird count organized in December by the Audubon Society for the last 125 years. Locally, Birds Connect Seattle has coordinated participation for the last 95 years. You can be a part of this yearly event that tracks winter bird populations around the nation, helping to get a one-day picture of what species are where and how many. (See the 2023 results.)

You don't have to be a serious birder to be part of the CBC! Birds Connect Seattle says that there is a role for everyone, and there are even some binoculars available for loan (email the local CBC coordinator) if you want to try your hand at bird observations. Read the Birds Connect blog post to see how they have been working to make the event more inclusive.

There are two ways to participate: Join a Field Team or Count from Home. Make sure and register by December 8^th to ensure you are connected to a group and your observations are integrated into the larger count.

The 2024 Christmas Bird Count is on Sunday December 15.

For more information, visit: Christmas Bird Count - Birds Connect Seattle.