The Christmas Bird Count

Author name

AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONTRIBUTE TO GLOBAL SCIENCE

By Alex Harper


Early conservation and Christmas Bird Count history

The end of the 1800s and early 1900s marked a turning point for conservation in the United States. During these years, virtually no laws protected wild animals in North America. Unregulated hunting and land development had spread westward to the Pacific coast over the past few decades in name of manifest destiny, and writers and early conservationists recognized that animal populations and habitats were being lost at alarming rates. Species like the Carolina Parakeet and the once abundant Passenger Pigeon were well on their way to extinction.


This was the era where writers and thinkers like John Muir caught the ear of Teddy Roosevelt, who would go on to create the first National Wildlife Refuge in Florida, establish national parks, and create the Antiquities Act. Around the same time, the hunting of herons and egrets for the harvesting of their specialized breeding feathers to adorn the hats of wealthy women had become popular. One of the designers of these hats went by the name of Coco Chanel, who would found the Chanel brand. Two other women, alarmed by the loss of heron and egret populations, on the other hand, would bring people together to establish the Massachusetts Audubon Society in 1896 in efforts to put an end to this practice and protect bird populations. By 1905, the National Audubon Society would be founded in Boston.


Part of the wave in this iteration of the conservation movement that would sweep across the country came in the form of a bird count during December of 1900. A man named Frank Chapman posed a twist on a Christmas holiday pastime that was popular at the time. The twist: counting birds instead of hunting birds for sport, which was a widespread Christmas tradition at the time. On Christmas day, Frank and 26 other birdwatchers counted birds and tallied species. Most of the counts were in New England, but counters in Canada and California also participated. The Christmas Bird Count, or CBC, was born.


The counts today

Today, the Christmas Bird Count has grown to include over 2,600 '“count circles” across the globe, with 70,000 to 80,000 volunteers participating over recent years. Most of these counts take place in the United States. It is the longest-running community science bird project in the United States, and the National Audubon Society manages and compiles this massive effort.

The counts take place between December 14th and January 5th. Birders, nature and science lovers, and biologists of all skill levels and backgrounds participate, and the counts are meant to welcome as many people in as possible as they are meant to gather information on bird populations.


Each count is done in a count circle. Each circle is 15 miles in diameter, and circles do not overlap. Each count circle has at least one compiler, and the compilers have the task of creating count parties, disseminating the count protocols, orchestrating the efforts, collecting data sheets, and sending data sheets to regional compilers. From there, regional compilers skilled in data quality assurance and control compile data from across counts, and then the data is sent to the science team at National Audubon Society. The science team uses different statistical models to further tease out valuable information from the data.


Each party for each circle includes recording bird species information, search effort details, and weather conditions such as temperature, precipitation, and cloud cover. The species detected by observation and/or sound are recorded, as well as the numbers of individuals of each species. Effort details such as the amount of searchers, time spent, route, and method of observation are recorded. Parties are often designated routes to certain areas with a circle to survey specific or key areas to bring some additional standardization to the surveys.


Large studies like the CBC studies provide valuable insights to bird populations and habitat health on very large spatial scales, as well as time scales. From the data, researchers are able to identify trends such as changes in species abundance and changes in species ranges. The last 125 years have been extremely significant for animal and plant populations in North America and worldwide. CBC data, with all of the data points coming in, can provide critical information necessary for conservation efforts, especially when compared in conjunction with results from other studies.


Counts in Southern Nevada

There are six CBCs in Southern Nevada. Red Rock Audubon, as the local chapter of the National Audubon Society, helps to oversee the ones within our purview of Clark, Lincoln, and Nye Counties. All four local National Wildlife Refuges are covered: Ash Meadows, western portions of Desert National Wildlife Refuge to include Corn Creek, Pahranagat, and Muddy River National Wildlife Refuges are all surveyed, with help from refuge staff and partners. 


Areas of Red Rock Canyon are surveyed, including Spring Mountain Ranch and Lovell Canyon during the Red Rock Canyon. The Henderson CBC includes neighborhoods and parks in Whitney, Henderson, and Lake Las Vegas, as well as eastern Lake Mead. Locals will understand that Cornerstone Park, Clark County Wetlands Park and the wash, and Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve are all very important areas for the count.


Red Rock Audubon has agreed to help out with an additional count, the Willow Beach, Arizona CBC, just downstream from the Hoover Dam. Western portions of the circle include parts of Southern Nevada, although the majority is best surveyed along the Colorado River.


You can be a beginner and still contribute...Here’s why!

The count compilers often know their participants. Most often, birders and bird biologists familiar with local birds and locations lead parties, and the rest of the party supports by spotting birds, driving, or recording birds on the data sheet. This ensures that most birds detected can be identified and recorded.


Birding or recording data on species does require observational technique and skill, but the protocol is designed to be inclusive in these ways. Party leaders are encouraged to teach and share what they are seeing. This differs from many other scientific study protocols which may have more complicated methods or sampling.


What you record from your backyard or apartment is also valuable. Participants often do a “feeder watch” from their yard. Thousands of people participate in feeder watches nationwide, and all of these data points together provide valuable information for the CBC.


Your next steps:

The CBCs continue to gain popularity, and Red Rock Audubon supports the CBCs by drumming up help from our members, local birders, biologists, and partners.


To sign up for a count, please visit  redrockaudubon.com/events.

If you want a bit more information, then tune in for this informational virtual meeting on December 4th from 6:30-8:00 pm:  CBC Informational meeting


We look forward to welcoming you to enjoy birds and the birding community in Southern Nevada. We sometimes need to be reminded of the words of Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”


RECENT ARTICLES

July Birding Forecast

June 29, 2025
By Alex Harper Monsoon season began in mid-June and will go until late September throughout the Mojave Desert. Monsoonal weather patterns are kicked off as warm, moist air is moved into the region by winds originating in the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California. When moisture builds and the conditions are right, thunderstorms and thick cumulus clouds begin to move through southern Nevada. Occasionally, the clouds will release water in the form of precipitation, providing the living organisms with much-needed moisture and cooler temperatures. The pulses of moisture may stimulate insect activity and population growth. This in turn can increase bird activity. In wetter years, cicadas or grasshoppers can be abundant in the Las Vegas Valley. These large insects are important food sources for the many young birds in the area and can help them survive the most challenging parts of their lives: learning to find food without the help of their parents. You may see neighborhood mockingbirds and grackles feeding on grasshoppers, or roadrunners at larger parks chasing them with high levels of success. Whether or not the monsoons materialize in July, the month tends to be hot and on the slower side throughout the Valley for birds and birders. However, there are bright spots for those willing to brave the heat. Many shorebirds may already be migrating through the area. Shorebirds are some of the first migratory birds to return to the area during southbound migration; their numbers will continue to grow through August and into September. The first birds may be plains breeders such Long-billed Curlews, Willets, and Wilson’s Phalaropes, followed by shorebirds from the boreal forests and Arctic tundra. They are often made up of adult birds that have not bred successfully and have begun moving towards wintering areas, followed by successfully-breeding adults, and later the young birds born and fledged this summer. Look for shorebirds at Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, the Las Vegas Wash, and flooding lake beds. Another interesting phenomenon is the movement of some species of waterbirds from Mexico into areas of the desert southwest. In July and August, the Las Vegas area may be graced by unusually occurring wading birds: White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Reddish Egret, Little Blue Heron and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron are all species that could show up at wetlands. These are probably young birds born this summer that are dispersing, possibly following the Colorado River up from Mexico and into southern Nevada. It seems that at least one or two of these species will be turned up by birders during July and August.  Birders can escape the heat by heading into the Spring Mountains. By July, many of the high elevation birds have raised young, and breeding activity has slowed. Although birds are less vocal and active, they are still present in these habitats. It won’t be until August that most migratory birds from the Mojave and Great Basin mountain ranges begin to move down into the lowlands, where the risk of encountering high heat and less food, cover and water negates the advantages of getting any head start on southbound movements. The exceptions are hummingbirds; Rufous and occasionally Calliope Hummingbirds will turn up starting in late July at higher elevations. These birds leapfrog across mountain ranges in search of the late summer blooms of penstemon, goldenrod, thistle, and more.

Springtime Surprise

May 29, 2025
By Jackson Roth (age 11) Birding in the springtime offers chances to see birds doing a wide range of behaviors not done during other times of the year. This was one fun surprise we had while birding in late spring. I love Floyd Lamb. It has been the scene of some of my family’s greatest adventures, like hunting for Great Horned Owls (more about that in an earlier blog post) and seeing a South American Muscovy duck. Its variety of forest, grassland, and wetland habitats means there is a wide range of species in the area. But there’s one species in Floyd Lamb that always annoys us: Canada Geese. They’re squawking at you, they’re trying to bite your hand off, and you’re stepping in their feces. It’s terrible. But one time we went in the spring, and our opinion of Canada Geese went up…slightly, anyway. It was right after breeding season, and we saw some Canada Geese goslings. Covered in puffy, pale yellow feathers, they were adorable! There were usually three or four in a group, tiny balls of fluff, and as they ran around after their mothers, they furiously beat their tiny wings, hoping that even without flight feathers, they would still be able to soar into the air. We were surrounded with wonderful, waddling goslings. Seeing so many of them made me a little sad. They’re so cute now, but they will all grow up to be something that wants to bite me and poops all over the sidewalk.

June Birding Forecast

May 27, 2025
By Alex Harper The big pulses of migratory birds have all but ended for the spring season by the beginning of June. The transient shorebirds, vireos, flycatchers, thrushes, warblers, tanagers, grosbeaks and buntings have pushed through the Mojave landscapes along their route to their summer breeding territories. Most of the birds that passed through in May have flown to suitable breeding habitat, found a mate, begun maintaining and defending territory, constructed a nest and started sitting on eggs by early June. In the spring, birds are fixated on getting to a territory and passing their genes successfully. This requires focus to get ahead of any competition. For birders in the Mojave Desert, June is the beginning of the summer. Those who dedicated to looking for straggling or wayward migratory birds should head to the migrant traps in the area. Migrant traps are any features in the landscape that look appealing to birds. In the desert, a migrant trap may be a small area with trees and water; golf courses, highway rest stops, and springs often qualify as traps because they “pull in birds”. Corn Creek Field Station at Desert National Wildlife Refuge or Floyd Lamb Park are traps that have the potential to attract late or wayward migratory birds. Unassuming highway towns like Primm or Cactus Springs can act as traps as well. In early June, one could be rewarded with a vagrant; Tropical Kingbird, Red-eyed Vireo, or an eastern warbler are all possibilities in June. Our local birds are deeply engaged in breeding activities. In the lower elevations and the Las Vegas Valley, adults may be feeding nestlings or attending to birds that have fledged the nest. Some birds may begin tending to a second clutch of young. Listen for nestlings begging for food from nests or for fledged young following their parents for handouts. By the end of the month and into July, some birds born this spring are already wandering around on their own, unattended by their parents. In the higher elevations where cooler temperatures may be lingering, birds are following a later schedule. This means that visitors to the Spring Mountains might be able to enjoy the frenzies of breeding activities of Violet-green Swallows, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, and songbirds while enjoying cooler weather and the shade of towering Ponderosa Pines. If possible, visit the trails of Fletcher Canyon, Deer Creek, Mary Jane Falls, or upper Lee Canyon on weekday mornings to beat the weekend crowds and take in the June dawn chorus. Those hanging around until nightfall may hear whistling Poorwills, Western Screech-Owl or the low hoots of Flammulated Owls. The Hualapai Mountains near Kingman, Arizona offer similar mountainous getaways along with chances for Zone-tailed Hawk, Painted Redstart, Hepatic Tanager and Canyon Towhee, all of which are difficult to find on our side of the Colorado River.  Otherwise, settle into a Mojave Desert summer. Treat June, July, and August as times to observe young birds or for studying familiar backyard birds. After a few weeks, shorebirds will be on their way southward; it is possible to see migratory shorebirds by late July and August. You may also find companions in insects, spiders, bats and lizards. Slow down and be open to the other animals and you will notice the diversity of pollinating insects and urban invertebrates of southern Nevada. These invertebrates provide food to the summer biomass of the bird populations. .