Everybody Counts

One of Audubon's great traditions is the Christmas Bird Count. This winter marks the 101st year that Auduboners and other volunteers have gone out to count every bird they see within a specific time and space. For many participants the count is a social event, or a way to get outdoors in the winter. But it is also science--citizen science.

Of the 90 species that were spotted in 1900, most have been counted every year since. In fact, Audubon's Christmas Bird Count (CBC) represents "the longest-running survey in ornithology," according to Geoff LeBaron, director of the count. Scientists have used these data to monitor the health of bird species, pinpoint and explain trends, and detect the rise of environmental threats. 

For example, Terry Root, an avian ecologist at the University of Michigan, uses Christmas Bird Count data to study the effects of climate change on birds. Computer models predict that the temperature in a warming Northern Hemisphere should vary more in winter than in summer, so CBC data, collected in winter, are "perfect" for forecasting how birds might react to temperature shifts, Root says. "There's no way you could do the type of work we do without that."

Citizen-science data are useful on a more local scale, too. Audubon volunteers and others have spent 10 springs counting horseshoe crabs on eastern beaches and weighing and banding migratory shorebirds. Their work helped document the interaction between the crabs and the birds, which depend on crab eggs in their migration from South America to the Arctic. "We're monitoring 20 to 24 beaches, and you've got to be there when the tide is right," says Bill Hall, who coordinates the monitoring in Delaware. "This takes the heat off me. I don't have to worry about doing it all myself." The data helped confirm a 70 percent decline in crab numbers over the past decade, which has now led to a proposed horseshoe crab sanctuary off the coast of Delaware (see Audubon in Action, "Victory at Sea").

When people count birds, they are helping build a body of knowledge that can be used to protect those birds and to improve wildlife habitat. As we approach a new year, we at Audubon are renewing our commitment to citizen science. We're posting our CBC records on the Internet. We're expanding our BirdCast program and our Great Backyard Bird Count. We're urging public officials to let citizen scientists provide data the government can't afford to collect on its own. And through our education programs, we're teaching young people about the connections between nature and science. 

This year, let us help you start a new tradition of counting in your community. Join the Christmas Bird Count, held from December 14 through January 5 every year. For more information, click here. To sign up, send an e-mail to glebaron@audubon.org. We're counting on you!