Christmas Bird Count: What a First-Timer Should Know

The Christmas Bird Count is not a casual “go birding sometime around Christmas and upload a list” event.

It is a coordinated one-day census with a fixed geography, assigned participants and effort data.

That structure is exactly why more than a century of CBC records can be useful for studying long-term bird populations.

What Is the Christmas Bird Count?

The Christmas Bird Count, usually shortened to CBC, is Audubon’s long-running community-science winter bird census.

The first count took place in 1900. Today, volunteers participate across the Western Hemisphere in coordinated local count circles.

The basic idea has stayed remarkably consistent:

• define a fixed count area;
• choose one official count day;
• coordinate observers;
• count every bird detected;
• record how much effort went into the count;
• submit the coordinated result through the local compiler.

The result is much more than a species list.

When Is the 127th Christmas Bird Count?

Audubon’s current participation page confirms that the 127th CBC runs from December 14, 2026 to January 5, 2027.

That does not mean your local count lasts 23 days.

Each count compiler chooses one calendar day within that official period.

You participate on the date selected for the circle you join.

How Do You Join as a First-Timer?

Audubon’s current process is simple:

1. Open Audubon’s CBC circle map.
2. Find a count near you that is accepting participants.
3. Use the map information to contact the circle compiler in advance.
4. Follow the compiler’s instructions for registration, meeting point, sector and count-day procedure.

For the 127th CBC, Audubon’s map uses circle status information so participants can see which counts are open, limited or full.

Do not wait until count morning and simply appear at a random location inside a circle.

Why You Must Contact the Compiler First

The compiler coordinates the entire circle.

They are responsible for:

• recruiting participants;
• assigning field parties;
• dividing the circle into sectors;
• coordinating access to restricted areas;
• collecting bird totals;
• collecting effort data;
• reviewing unusual records;
• submitting the final circle data.

If independent birders cover the same places without coordination, birds can be double counted and effort becomes impossible to interpret correctly.

Participation Is Free

Audubon currently states that CBC participation is free.

You are generally responsible for your own:

• transportation;
• food and drinks;
• weather-appropriate clothing;
• binoculars or other normal birding gear.

Local counts may organize carpools, meals or optional gatherings, but those details vary by circle.

Beginners Are Welcome

You do not need to identify every winter bird by sight and sound before joining.

Audubon explicitly says birders of all skill levels participate and that beginning birders can be paired with experienced observers.

A good first CBC is one where you:

• tell the compiler you are new;
• join an experienced group;
• help spot and count common birds;
• ask how the party records effort;
• learn the local winter species as you go.

You do not have to be the person making every final identification.

What Is a CBC Circle?

Each established Christmas Bird Count takes place inside a fixed circle that is 15 miles in diameter, or about 24 kilometers.

The circle stays in the same place from year to year.

That consistency matters because long-term comparisons are more meaningful when observers repeatedly sample the same geography.

A 15-Mile Circle Is Much Bigger Than One Birding Spot

A circle can contain many habitat types:

• neighborhoods;
• parks;
• forests;
• farmland;
• wetlands;
• coastline;
• rivers;
• industrial areas;
• private land with permission.

That is why participants are normally divided into teams and sectors.

What Do You Actually Count?

You count individual birds, not merely species.

If your party sees:

• 24 Mallards;
• 7 Northern Cardinals;
• 3 Red-tailed Hawks;
• 61 Canada Geese;

those numbers matter.

The CBC is designed to capture abundance information as well as species presence.

You Count Birds You Hear Too

Birds identified confidently by sound can be part of the tally.

Winter birding can be quiet, but calls from chickadees, woodpeckers, nuthatches, crows and other species may reveal birds hidden in vegetation.

If you are not confident in a sound identification, ask another party member rather than guessing.

Avoid Double Counting

The exact field method depends on your party leader and sector.

Useful habits include:

• stay within your assigned area;
• tell the group when a flock moves toward another section;
• avoid recording the same obvious flock twice;
• use time and location notes for large moving groups;
• let the party leader reconcile uncertain duplicates.

Perfect knowledge is impossible, but coordinated teams reduce avoidable duplication.

Effort Data Are Part of the Count

CBC data are more useful because Audubon also records how much effort observers spent finding birds.

Depending on the party and protocol, this can include information such as:

• number of observers;
• time spent counting;
• distance covered;
• travel method;
• feeder-watching effort.

This is one reason an independent eBird checklist from inside the circle cannot simply be merged into CBC results after the fact.

Can You Use eBird During a CBC?

Yes, many participants use eBird to help collect their field data.

But submitting a checklist to eBird does not automatically submit it to the Christmas Bird Count.

Audubon states that CBC data must still reach the circle compiler, who reviews and combines the coordinated results.

If your party leader uses eBird Trip Reports or another system, follow their specific instructions.

Can You Count From Your Feeder?

Yes—if your home is inside the CBC circle and you arrange it with the compiler beforehand.

Audubon specifically recognizes feeder watchers as participants.

This can be a strong option if:

• mobility makes a full field day difficult;
• your feeder is inside an active circle;
• the compiler needs coverage in your neighborhood;
• you know your regular feeder species well.

You still need to coordinate with the compiler so your observations fit the official count.

A Feeder Count Is Not Just “Highest Number at Once”

Do not automatically import Project FeederWatch rules into CBC methodology.

Christmas Bird Count feeder watchers should use the current feeder-count guidance supplied by the compiler or Audubon for that count.

Different citizen-science projects can count birds differently because they answer different research questions.

Can You Just Do Your Own CBC?

No—not if you want the observations included as official CBC data.

Audubon says participants must join an established circle and coordinate in advance.

The reason is methodological, not bureaucratic:

• coverage must be coordinated;
• effort must be measured;
• duplicate birds must be minimized;
• the circle has one official count date;
• one compiler submits the combined result.

What Is Count Week?

Count Week runs from three days before through three days after the official circle count day.

A species found during that period but not found on count day can be marked as a Count Week species.

That record does not add individuals to the official count-day total.

Audubon’s current rules also state that Count Week species do not count toward the official count-day species total.

Example: Count Week vs Count Day

Imagine your circle finds one Northern Shrike two days before the CBC.

On official count day, nobody finds it.

The species may be recorded as a Count Week species.

If the shrike is found on count day, the count-day observation takes precedence and is recorded in the official census tally.

Count Week Is Not an Extra Seven-Day Census

Do not add all birds seen across seven days together.

The official census is still one calendar day.

Count Week mainly preserves the fact that an additional species was present in the circle around the time of the count.

How Long Is Count Day?

The CBC is a 24-hour census on one calendar day.

That does not mean every beginner must personally bird for 24 hours.

Some teams begin before dawn for owls. Others meet after sunrise. Some participants work half a day, and feeder watchers may count for designated periods from home.

Your compiler determines the local plan.

What Should a First-Timer Expect?

What to Bring

• binoculars;
• weatherproof outer layers;
• warm hat and gloves;
• water;
• food;
• phone and backup battery;
• notebook or the recording system requested by your party;
• field guide or bird-ID app;
• comfortable footwear suited to the route;
• any accessibility or medical items you normally need outdoors.

If your sector includes a spotting-scope location, the party leader may already have a scope.

You do not need to buy specialized gear for a first CBC.

Dress for Standing Still, Not Just Walking

Winter birding often alternates between walking and long stationary scans.

Dress more warmly than you would for a continuous hike at the same temperature.

Wind, wet ground and early-morning darkness can matter as much as the air temperature.

Know Your Binoculars Before Count Day

A CBC is not the ideal moment to learn basic focusing from scratch while your group is trying to identify a distant flock.

Before the event, practice:

• setting interpupillary distance;
• setting the diopter;
• finding a bird quickly with both eyes;
• focusing from near to far;
• using binoculars with gloves if the forecast is cold.

See OwlRatings’ binocular setup and focus guide.

Learn the Common Winter Birds First

You do not need to memorize every possible rarity.

Knowing the common birds in your region helps more because they make up most of the day’s detections.

Practice common:

• sparrows;
• woodpeckers;
• waterfowl;
• gulls;
• raptors;
• feeder birds;
• common flight calls and contact calls.

Do Not Guess at Unfamiliar Birds

If you see something unfamiliar, call another observer over.

Useful documentation can include:

• photos;
• audio;
• written field marks;
• behavior;
• exact location;
• time;
• which observers saw the bird.

Rare birds may require additional documentation through the compiler or regional editor.

Merlin Can Help—but Follow CBC Guidance

Merlin Bird ID can be a useful identification aid.

But an app suggestion is not automatically a confirmed CBC record.

Audubon provides specific guidance for Merlin use, and your party leader may have a standard way of handling app-assisted detections.

For an unusual species, confirm the identification with observable evidence rather than reporting the app label alone.

Playback Should Be Used Sparingly

Audubon permits judicious use of attractant sounds where legal, but says playback should never be used in a way that significantly alters bird behavior.

As a first-timer, do not independently start playing calls.

Follow the party leader’s method.

Remote Cameras Do Not Count as Official Count-Day Observers

Audubon’s current CBC rules state that trail cameras, unmanned audio recorders and live-stream feeder cameras cannot be used as the official method for collecting count-day CBC bird data.

The census requires officially involved human observers because bird numbers must be tied to effort.

A remotely detected species may sometimes support a Count Week record under current rules, but it is not included as official count-day census data.

Why Effort Makes the Data More Useful

Imagine one circle has 80 people in the field and another has 8.

The first group is likely to find more birds simply because more people searched longer and covered more ground.

Effort data give researchers information needed to account for differences in observer coverage.

That is a major reason CBC methodology is more structured than an ordinary bird walk.

The CBC Is Different From the Great Backyard Bird Count

See OwlRatings’ Great Backyard Bird Count beginner guide if you want a more flexible event that does not require joining a CBC circle.

The CBC Is Different From Project FeederWatch

Project FeederWatch is a recurring cold-season monitoring program centered on a defined count site and repeated two-day count periods.

CBC is one coordinated census day per circle each season.

See OwlRatings’ Project FeederWatch beginner guide.

Can Families Participate?

Many local CBCs welcome families and newer birders, but the compiler decides how teams are organized.

If bringing children, tell the compiler when you register so they can suggest an appropriate sector, duration or feeder-count option.

What If You Have Limited Mobility?

Ask the compiler about accessible options before assuming the event requires hiking all day.

Possible roles can include:

• feeder watching from a home inside the circle;
• stationary observation points;
• short accessible routes;
• vehicle-based counting where the local plan allows it.

Audubon encourages count leaders to consider accessible participation.

What If the Circle Is Full?

Some CBC circles cannot accept unlimited participants.

Audubon notes that a circle may be full because:

• enough observers are already committed;
• access to some areas is restricted;
• coverage is already sufficient;
• the compiler cannot coordinate more teams safely.

If your first choice is full, use the map to check nearby circles.

Do You Need to Bird All Day?

Not necessarily.

Some circles can use half-day participants, feeder watchers or other limited-effort roles.

Do not promise a short shift without asking first; the compiler must know how your effort fits the coverage plan.

What About Owling Before Dawn?

Some field parties start before daylight to listen for owls.

As a beginner, join this only if it is part of the organized plan.

Night access, road safety, private property and playback practices all need coordination.

Winter Safety Matters More Than One More Species

CBC conditions can include ice, snow, freezing rain, wind, darkness and cold water.

Do not enter unsafe ice, trespass, climb unstable structures or stop vehicles in dangerous locations to add a bird to the list.

The count is annual. Personal safety takes priority over a record.

Check the Forecast and Route the Night Before

• know the meeting place;
• download offline maps if coverage is poor;
• charge your phone;
• check sunrise and weather;
• pack dry layers;
• confirm whether lunch is in the field;
• ask whether your party needs a scope;
• know how data will be recorded.

How to Count a Large Flock

You may encounter flocks too large to count bird by bird.

A common field approach is to count a small block—perhaps 10, 20 or 50 birds—then estimate how many similar blocks fit into the flock.

Tell your party leader when a number is an estimate.

For important large flocks, photos can sometimes help verify estimates afterward, but the party’s field protocol should guide the official tally.

Do Not Turn Every Moving Flock Into a New Total

Winter birds can move between nearby ponds, fields or feeder areas.

If 500 geese leave one field and appear five minutes later at the next stop, your party should consider whether it is the same flock before adding another 500.

Communication within and between sectors helps reduce obvious duplication.

Take Notes on Unusual Birds Immediately

Memory becomes less reliable after ten hours outside.

If you encounter an unusual bird, record:

• size and shape;
• plumage pattern;
• bill shape;
• behavior;
• habitat;
• vocalization;
• comparison with nearby familiar species;
• photos or audio if obtained ethically.

OwlRatings’ birding field-notes guide gives a simple structure.

What Happens to Your Data After Count Day?

Field parties submit their results to the local compiler.

The compiler reviews and combines the circle’s data, resolves questions where possible, and submits the official results into Audubon’s CBC system.

Regional editors may review unusual records and data quality.

Audubon then maintains the long-term database for summaries, research and trend analysis.

Why One Day per Year Can Still Be Valuable

One count day cannot describe every bird in a region.

The value comes from repetition:

• the same circles;
• the same seasonal period;
• coordinated effort;
• many observers;
• many years.

Long-term standardized data can reveal broad changes that one isolated winter checklist cannot.

Weather Still Influences CBC Results

A severe cold snap, snow cover, frozen water or unusually mild winter can change where birds are distributed during the count period.

Audubon notes that winter bird populations can still be shifting geographically between December 14 and January 5.

That natural annual variation is one reason long-term datasets need many seasons rather than one count interpreted alone.

The 127th CBC Is Already Open for Planning

For the 2026–2027 season, Audubon identifies the event as the 127th Christmas Bird Count.

The current join page lists the official dates as December 14, 2026 through January 5, 2027 and provides a map of expected participating circles.

If you want to participate, contacting a compiler before the busiest registration period is better than waiting until the last minute.

First-Timer CBC Checklist

Common First-Timer Mistakes

Is the Christmas Bird Count Good for Beginners?

Yes—especially if you like learning from more experienced birders.

A CBC gives beginners something ordinary bird walks often do not: a reason to look carefully at every bird, including common species.

You may spend more time counting starlings, geese, chickadees and sparrows than chasing rarities.

That is excellent identification practice.

You Will Learn More Than Species Names

A good field party can teach you:

• how to scan habitat efficiently;
• how to estimate flocks;
• how winter birds use different microhabitats;
• how to separate similar calls;
• how to document unusual records;
• how weather changes bird distribution;
• how citizen-science protocols differ from recreational birding.

Bottom Line

The easiest way to do your first Christmas Bird Count is to join an existing circle, tell the compiler you are new, and follow the local team’s method.

For the upcoming season, Audubon’s 127th CBC runs from December 14, 2026 through January 5, 2027. Each circle chooses one official day inside that period.

The event is free, beginners are welcome, and experienced birders can help you learn as you count.

Remember the core methodology: a fixed 15-mile-diameter circle, coordinated participants, every individual bird counted, effort recorded, and results returned to the compiler.

If hiking all day is not a good fit, ask about feeder watching or another accessible role inside the circle.

Most importantly, do not treat the CBC like an ordinary personal checklist. Its value comes from everyone following the same coordinated structure year after year.

Sources & Further Reading

• National Audubon Society — Christmas Bird Count
• National Audubon Society — Join the Christmas Bird Count
• National Audubon Society — Christmas Bird Count Questions and Answers
• National Audubon Society — CBC Compiler and Participant Resources

Editorial note: CBC circle availability, local meeting arrangements, sector assignments and participation requirements are managed by individual compilers. The fixed official count period and broad CBC methodology are standardized, but always follow the current instructions for the circle you join.

Jonathan Gron

Jonathan Gron is the founder and editor of OwlRatings, where he researches birding, backyard wildlife and practical bird-safety guidance using current primary, government and professional sources.