Help count birds for science during Audubon’s Annual Christmas Bird Count

The National Audubon Society invites birdwatchers and people with backyard bird feeders to participate in the longest-running citizen science survey - the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC). On Saturday, December 18, 2021 birders and nature enthusiasts will take part in this century long project.

Birders of all ages are welcome to contribute to this fun, nationwide citizen science project, which provides ornithologists with a crucial snapshot of our native bird populations during the winter months. 

The Edmonds / South Snohomish County CBC is performed in a count circle with a diameter of 15 miles that is centered near Martha Lake in Lynnwood.

If you live inside the red circle, you are invited to participate in the Bird Count.
Enlargeable map here

This circle covers South Everett, Mukilteo, Mill Creek, Lynnwood, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrance, Maltby and much of Bothell, as well as all or part of several neighborhoods in Shoreline, the northern part of Lake Forest Park and Kenmore.

In 2019 a record 107 people counted birds at feeders at 81 locations. The feeder counters detected 3,889 birds belonging to 51 species. This accounted for 11% of the birds detected on the count. 

The feeder counters found 100% of the California Quail, 73% of the Band-tailed Pigeons, 52% of the Anna Hummingbirds, 50% of the Barred Owls, 51% of the Chestnut-backed Chickadees, 65% of the Bushtits, 67% of the Red-breasted Nuthatches, 67% of the White-throated Sparrows, 50% of the Orange-crowned Warblers, and 58% of the Townsend’s Warblers.

To see photos of these local birds, check out the For the Birds columns written by Christine Southwick here. Or you can use the search box in the first column to look for a specific bird here: http://www.ShorelineAreaNews.com.

Overall, the feeder counters had a significant positive impact on the success of the count. Complete results of 2019 local CBC can be found on the Pilchuck Audubon Website here.

To participate by counting birds in your yard and feeders confirm that you live within the count circle, using this zoomable map on the Pilchuck Audubon website. Instructions and the reporting form are found on the same page as the map. You can also contact Rick Taylor at cbc.waed@pilchuckaudubon.com

Data compiled in South Snohomish and Northern King County area will record every individual bird and bird species seen in a specified area, contributing to a vast citizen science network that continues a tradition stretching back more than 100 years.

Audubon is a nonprofit conservation organization. Learn more at www.audubon.org and follow @audubonsociety.