Christmas Bird Count (CBC)

The 2024 Port Townsend Christmas Bird Count will be Saturday, Dec 14.
The Compilation potluck will be after the count, at 5:30pm at the Rosewind Common House.
The Bird Identification and CBC Background meeting will be Wednesday, Dec 4, 7pm, at the Port Townsend Community Center.

The Port Townsend CBC began in 1977. One of thousands nationwide, it is part of one of the largest field data collection efforts by volunteers. The first counts began in 1900. The data is used to track increasing and decreasing populations, to list and delist species as threatened or endangered, and to track recent changes due to climate change.

Here's how it works. Each count is a circle, 15 miles in diameter, which means 177 square miles. Our goal is to count every bird! In reality, we divide the circle into areas – each with an Area Leader and one or more teams – and walk, drive, bike, or boat certain routes to cover as much ground or water as we can on the designated day – no matter what the weather. Some teams are out all day, some less so.

We are also looking for at-home feeder-watchers who simply report on the birds in their yard during a 30-minute window.

We are looking for birders from beginners to experienced. If interested, come to the meeting listed above, or contact the count compiler, Steve Hampton, at stevechampton@gmail.com.

The CBC will be featured on KPTZ next week, and will be in the Christmas insert of the Port Townsend Leader next week as well.