Dunlin in flight-Photo by Ann Kramer

SAS Christmas Bird Count

What is the Christmas Bird Count (CBC)?

Frank Chapman and 26 other conservationists initiated the Christmas Bird Count as a way of promoting conservation by counting, rather than hunting, birds on Christmas Day of 1900. Some counts have been running every year since then and the CBC now happens in over 20 countries in the western hemisphere! Now a long-standing program of the National Audubon Society, with over 120 years of community science involvement, it is an early-winter bird census, where thousands of volunteers across the U.S., Canada and many countries in the Western Hemisphere go out over a 24-hour period on one calendar day to count birds.

The Skagit Audubon CBC circle takes place annually within a 15 mile radius around Padilla Bay, and is an effort to collect the most complete and accurate data possible on the birds within the count circle. We are always on the look out for experienced birders to participate in our annual count. For more information about the count or to volunteer, please contact our Conservation Chair Tim Manns (conservation@skagitaudubon.org).

The 2023 CBC took place on Saturday December 30th. Click HERE to see a summary of the count results!