CBC for First Timers

Welcome to the nation’s longest-running citizen science project.

If this is your first Christmas Bird Count, thank you for stepping outside your comfort zone into a sunny/wet/muddy/warm/cold December day. You’ll be contributing to a tradition that started on Christmas Day 1900 and continues to provide valuable data about bird populations and movements. Each count covers a circle of 15 miles in diameter. Sequoia Audubon Society has 2 circles: Crystal Springs and Año Nuevo.

Before the count day:

When you contact the coordinator, let them know your level of birding skill. Also be clear about whether you prefer to stay on paved paths or if you enjoy hiking over hill and dale, and whether you are available all day or only part of the day. If your group will be counting behind a locked gate in a permit-only area, discuss in advance if there is an option to leave early.

The coordinator will assign you to a team leader. That person is in charge of the count on a small portion of the count circle. They will contact you before the count day with instructions on when and where to meet, and other relevant details. Find out if you should bring lunch with you, or if you will have the luxury of a lunch break at a cafe somewhere. Be sure to bring appropriate gear for the day – layers are good, as is sturdy footwear. If you don’t have binoculars, say so. Don’t forget a full tank of gas for your car if your assigned section is far from home, as well as water for yourself – and of course your binoculars.

On the count day:

Be sure to arrive punctually. Unlike a typical birding outing, the group will only stay at the rendez-vous point long enough to fill out initial paperwork and discuss the plan for the day. Late arrivals cause delays.

Remember this is a volunteer effort. You may be invited to come before dawn, to listen for owls. This is not required: you can choose to join the group at the daylight rendez-vous. If you don’t want to be out till sundown, that’s OK too. Some groups finish their section early, while others cover as much ground as time allows. Of course, if you are with a group that is behind a locked gate in a permit-only area, you should discuss before the day if there is an option to leave early.

Depending on the area to be counted and number of volunteers, the team leader may subdivide the group.

What to expect:

As a new participant, especially if you are not yet a super-duper birder, you may be asked to tally the birds as others call out what they see. The checklist contains only birds likely to be seen in this count circle and are arranged in taxonomic order, just like the field guides. Some people put this list on a clipboard to tally birds seen, perhaps changing to a new copy when moving to a fresh location. Others keep their tallies in small notebooks or on folded pieces of paper. Others use the mobile eBird app. Just so long as you can read your counts and don’t lose them! At the end, all will be added and transferred to a clean copy of the list.

Abbreviations. You already know that birders hate to speak in full sentences or using long names. Just call it the “CBC”. You’ll pick up some of the nicknames and abbreviations for bird names during the day – “pyg nut”, “Audubon’s”, “Cal towhee” for example.

This day is not about “quality” birding, though often the entire group will stop to enjoy some particularly interesting bird appearance or interaction. Don’t expect others to spend a lot of time making sure you see a bird, or explaining ID and behavior –the day is all about counting as many birds as you can find in your assigned sector. Your team leader may have gone out a few days previously and will know what you may be likely to find. Or they know what has been seen on previous counts, sometimes to the exact tree! Don’t be intimidated by other people in your count group. We were once all newbies like you, wondering how on earth someone could know there were 10 ruby-crowned kinglets in the Douglas fir forest, or 172 Northern Shovelers in that distant flock.

Do help your group by calling out birds you notice. It’s OK if you don’t know what species of bird: the more skilled people can figure that out (or not) but you can help “get” them on the bird. Perhaps you have sharp ears and can alert the group to bird calls that not everyone can hear. And everyone’s spent time on “stick” birds.

If you are carrying any of the count documentation, do not leave the count before giving the paperwork to the leader or another reliable person. This may be bird tallies, the log of time and distance invested at each spot counted, or a rare bird documentation form.

If you aren’t sick of bird talk, please do join us at the count dinner – not for the food or elegant dining, which it’s not – but for camaraderie, the pleasures of swopping “how was your day” stories with others, and then the countdown: listing what birds were seen, followed by the excitement of learning what rare or unexpected birds turned up. Dinner is usually over by 7.30 or so: people aren’t interested in late night celebration if they were up before dawn.

Last but not least: THANK YOU for helping.

September 2025