62nd Ann Arbor Christmas Bird Count:
December 20, 2008

Important Information: The September/October WAS Newsletter posted the date incorrectly as Dec. 13. The date for the Christmas Bird Count is Dec. 20.

• The Ann Arbor Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is sponsored by the Washtenaw Audubon Society, and it is open to birders of all skill levels.
• Ann Arbor's CBC is held as part of a continent-wide effort, coordinated by the National Audubon Society.
• About 1700 CBC's are conducted across the continent each year within a window of two and a half weeks. Each count covers a circular area of 15 miles in diameter. The object is to identify and count both the species of birds within the circle, and the numbers of individuals within each species.
• The data collected from each CBC, along with the names of all participants is published each year by the National Audubon Society.
• The Christmas Bird Count is the longest running ornithological database. As we approach the count's centennial, it continues to grow in importance as a means to monitor the status of resident and migratory bird populations across the western hemisphere. The count is 100% volunteer generated data that, over the years, has become a crucial part of the national U.S. database.
• There is a $5.00 fee per participant, except for birders 18 years of age and under.

How Can I Participate?

As a field observer: Field observers spend the day (or part of it) outside, working on covering an area. In addition to the daylight census of birds, several groups of observers will conduct a pre-dawn search for owls. The Ann Arbor CBC is divided into eight sub-regions, each of which is covered by an area leader assigned to coordinating the census in that region. There is a $5 fee to participate (except for participants 18 years of age and younger) that is generally collected by the area leaders. This fee is used to maintain and publish the data from the 1600+ counts. Call an area leader below!

As a feeder watcher: If you have a bird feeder within the count circle, this is a fun and easy way to participate. As a feeder watcher, you need not pay the $5.00 fee, but if you do your name will published in the National Audubon Society CBC summary in Field Notes magazine. Feeder watchers can participate for any length of time; from one hour to all day. NOTE: Your feeder must be within the count circle for us to be able to accept your data! Call the Feederwatch Coordinator listed on this page, or stop by the Ann Arbor Wild Birds Unlimited

When the day is done, all participants are invited to a warm and rejuvenating potluck supper. The real fun and excitement of the day occurs here, when the final results are tallied.

Birders of all abilities can help - we encourage everyone to join in the fun!

Useful Information & Forms
2008 FORMS WILL BE AVAILABLE CLOSER TO THE CBC DATE

Where We Count the Birds

Ann Arbor's count circle is centered at the intersection of Maple Road and Huron River Drive, and is roughly bordered by Whitmore Lake on the north, the Ann Arbor airport on the south, Washtenaw Community College to the east, and the village of Dexter to the west. See these maps for more detail:
Area Overview
Area 1
Area 2
Area 3
Area 4
Area 5
Area 6
Area 7
Area 8

Important Contacts

Count Compiler: Jacco Gelderloos
(734) 973-9422 / JJGelderloos@yahoo.com

Feederwatch Coordinator:
Kurt Hagemeister
(734) 663-9746
khagemeister@sbcglobal.net

Potluck Coordinator: Sherry Smith
(734) 994-6287
grackle@umich.edu

CALL OR EMAIL AN AREA LEADER OR THE COUNT COMPILER TO JOIN IN!

Get the Data!

You can download, graph, and map historical data from our count and others here:
Audubon Christmas Bird Count