Updated: The 121st Audubon Christmas Bird Count is on until Jan. 5, and it’s a great chance for kids to be scientists right in their own neighborhoods. Remember to wear a mask and stay socially distant while counting.
Map view of the circles for the 121st Christmas Bird Count.
Here’s a way for you and your kids to have fun outside, learn about birds, and participate in some important science. You can sign up here.
To participate, you need to join an existing circle, unlike in the Backyard Bird Count, which is held each February.
Experience isn’t necessary for this study. “If you are a beginning birder, you will be able to join a group that includes at least one experienced birdwatcher,” according to the Audubon website.
If you’re counting in Seattle, it’s good to know these species: American crow, starling, northern flicker, Anna’s hummingbird, American robin, pigeon, black-capped chickadee, chestnut-backed chickadee, bushtit, house sparrow, song sparrow, white-crowned sparrow, golden-crowned sparrow, Bewick’s wren, pine siskin, house finch, dark-eyed junco, spotted towhee, Steller’s jay, California scrub jay, varied thrush. You also might see a gull, but you needn’t be able to identify what species, particularly if it’s just flying by. (Experienced birders can only tell them apart if they have a good view.)
You might come across a species that isn’t on this list, say, a Cooper’s hawk or a yellow-rumped warbler or a bald eagle. That’s the amazing thing about stopping to observe: you don’t know what is going to pop out of the background. In the end scientists will get valuable data about what kinds of birds live where, and you and your family will get to know your neighborhood a little better.
Fiona Cohen is the author of “Curious Kids Nature Guide: Explore the Amazing Outdoors of the Pacific Northwest.”
This story was originally published on Feb. 12, 2020.
