Looking for a new holiday tradition? Consider the Christmas Bird Count – even if you don’t know anything about birds

When it comes to birds, the colder months typically make us think of avian populations flying south and the birding season winding down.

It may surprise you to learn that it’s actually the time for the year’s biggest national birding project – the Christmas Bird Count.

Starting on Dec. 14, birders across North America begin compiling data on bird sightings, kicking off another year of one of the longest-running citizen science projects.

The Christmas Bird Count stems from a holiday tradition known as a Christmas “side hunt.” Popular during the 19th century, side hunts were holiday competitions in which hunters would gather and split into groups on either side of a large field and compete to see who could gather the most game. The cold winter temperatures made an overharvest like this feasible, as the meat would not spoil as quickly and gave communities time to process the meat for storage.

At the turn of the century, conservation was gaining ground, and this gave U.S. ornithologist Frank Chapman the opportunity to propose an alteration to this tradition.

In December 1990, he worked with 27 other committed birders to kick off the tradition of counting birds rather than hunting them. Twenty-five bird counts were held that Christmas Day, tallying 89 species and 18,500 individual birds.

Since then, this annual bird count has become a hugely valuable pool of data for the long-term study of bird populations across the continent.

“Christmas bird counts give us an annual snapshot of what’s out there. When combined with other counts, the data allows scientists to identify threats to birds. For example, are some species choosing to winter farther north as the climate changes? Are birds migrating later? Is there a trend toward fewer birds as the weather gets warmer? How does a major wildfire displace birds?” said Bea Harrison, Spokane Audubon Society board member.

Data gathered from the CBC has even helped conservationists advocate for policy change, such as the 1972 ban on DDT, an insecticide that has since become well known for its negative environmental impacts.

“Long-term data allows us to see the effects of the EPA ban on DDT in 1972 … By the late 1990s, many bird species affected by DDT had their population increase,” SAS outreach and conservation coordinator Shenandoah Marr said.

The CBC also alerts scientific communities to the decline in bird populations.

In 2007, CBC data was used in a report titled, “Audubon’s Common Birds in Decline Report.” This report raised the alarms that some of America’s most common birds had seen significant declines in population over the last 40 years.

Beside the CBC’s importance in regards to data, it also provides a great opportunity for birders to build community and learn from one another.

“Birding with an experienced person during the Christmas Bird Count gives new birders a chance to spend a whole day with dedicated people who can help them understand how to identify birds. It is a little like a birding boot camp because the focus of the day is looking for and identifying birds of all kinds,” Harrison said.

Although the data is used in important research, there’s no reason for beginners to feel intimidated by making mistakes during their count.

“Let go of any nervousness or apprehension you may have about your birding abilities. This is a citizen science project,” Marr said. “Although the data collected is used by professional scientists, any extremely unusual observations with respect to species or count will be verified before any major decisions are made.”

Harrison didn’t know anything about birds when she did her first count.

“I can laugh now when I remember some of the silly things that happened, like our team leader pointing out a chipping sparrow and I thought he said chicken sparrow,” Harrison said. “Or, the time I couldn’t find the yellow-bellied sapsucker because I could only see a woodpecker – a sapsucker is a woodpecker. I made it a point to start spending more time perusing my birding field guide after that.”

If your interest is piqued, now is the perfect time to prepare for the count. Each count is led by a local compiler who will handle the submission of the data you provide. The Spokane Audubon Society’s count is on Jan. 4, and the Cheney count is on Dec. 15. The Coeur d’Alene Christmas Bird Count is on Dec. 14. You can visit audubonspokane.org or cdaaudubon.org to get in contact with count organizers and register to attend.

There are a few ways first-timer Christmas bird counters can get ready. Be sure to dress warmly and prepare for a full day’s outing with a packed lunch and a thermos of something toasty.

For those who don’t have binoculars, Spokane Public Library members can get a “Checkout Washington Backpack,” which includes a pair of binoculars and other birding resources.

If you’re looking for a new tradition for this year’s holiday season, consider bundling up and heading outside with your fellow bird lovers. It may be chilly, but the community and the sightings are sure to warm your heart.