This year marks the 125th annual National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count.
The Christmas Bird Count, or CBC, is designed to collect data from bird volunteers across the Western Hemisphere. The count began in 1900 and remains one of the longest-running wildlife censuses in the world. The information gathered helps ornithologists and conservation biologists determine what actions are needed to protect birds and their habitats.
One study tracking 90 years of CBC data has shown how bird populations have shifted amid major environmental changes.
Ben Graham is with Audubon North Carolina. He says researchers are particularly interested in how birds are faring in the state’s rapidly growing urban and suburban areas.
"And so when you go out and you count birds as part of the Christmas Bird Count at your local park, you're helping us in that way, contributing data, helping us better understand how birds are doing, and then that can, in turn, help Audubon and our chapters figure out what conservation actions we need to take to help them," says Graham.
Bird watchers have until January 5 to submit their observations. More information can be found at Christmasbirdcount.org.