Become a Christmas Bird Count Feeder Watcher This Year

Written by Andy McCormick, CBC Compiler

The coronavirus pandemic has forced all of us to adjust our lives in many ways, and this year’s Christmas Bird Count is no exception. Eastside Audubon has decided to hold a count on December 19 and will adopt the National Audubon Society protocol in order to conduct it safely for all participants. This means we will not be recruiting volunteers for the count routes. The bird count in the 15 sections will be conducted by the leaders alone or split among two to three leaders.

However, we encourage you to participate in the count as a Feeder Watcher at home. We expanded our home Feeder Watcher Count last year and hope to add more feeder watchers this year. First, register with Eastside Audubon. Then, on December 19 choose a two-hour period when the birds will be busiest around your feeder or yard.

Joining the Feeder Watching Team and counting birds at home

Here is how you sign up to count birds at home:

Register with Eastside Audubon by completing the online form at https://www.eastsideaudubon.org/christmas-bird-count.
We will check your address to determine if your home falls within the EAS CBC Count Circle and let you know if you are eligible to be a feeder watcher. You can check the Count Circle below.
Feeder watchers should watch their feeders for two consecutive hours. Count the maximum number of a species you see or hear at any one time. For example, if you start watching at 7:00 a.m. and see 3 Black-capped Chickadees at 7:20, but at 8:00 a.m. you see 5, your count would be 5, not 8. In another example, if you see a Steller’s Jay at 7:10, see 2 and hear a third from a nearby tree at 8:20, and 2 more at 8:50, your count will be 3 Steller’s Jays, the most seen and/or heard at one time.
As soon as you can after the bird count, enter the data into the Feederwatch Data Sheet online. If you cannot enter data from your computer or cell phone, make a list of the birds and the highest number you saw at one time and mail them to: Eastside Audubon, P.O. Box 3115, Kirkland, WA 98083-3115, or email them to amccormick@eastsideaudubon.org.

Thank you for being a feeder watcher and adding the birds in your yard to the Christmas Bird Count data.

CBC Zoom Celebration

To celebrate the birds and our community science volunteers, Eastside Audubon will be hosting a CBC Zoom Celebration to discuss about the rare sightings and unique experiences of the day. If you plan on being a Feeder Watcher above, you can sign up to attend this event at the time of registration. If you are outside the CBC circle but would still like to attend the CBC Zoom Celebration, you can register for the celebration only here: https://conta.cc/2Jw2ExM.

Photo credit by Penelope Kipps.