126th Audubon Christmas Bird Count

126th Annual Christmas Bird Count

Sunday, December 21, 2025 (Princeton Count)
Saturday, January 3, 2026 (Trenton Marsh Count)

This year marks the 126th anniversary of the first Christmas Bird Count, when 27 conservationists in 25 localities, led by ornithologist Frank Chapman, changed the course of history. On Christmas Day 1900, the group initiated an alternative to the traditional holiday ‘side hunt,’ in which teams competed to see which could shoot the most birds. Instead of hunting, the group counted the birds they saw and founded a century-old institution.

In the past over 50,000 volunteers from all 50 states, every Canadian province, parts of Central and South America, Bermuda, the West Indies, and Pacific islands have counted and recorded every individual bird and bird species encountered during one calendar day. Up to 1800 individual Christmas Bird Counts will be held during a two-and-a-half week period. Each count group has a designated circle 15 miles in diameter-about 177 square miles–where they try to cover as much ground as possible within a 24-hour calendar day.

The Christmas Bird Count serves as an up-to-the-minute bird census. Counters catalogue every bird and bird species they see over one calendar day, from midnight to midnight. Growing in popularity since its inception, the count serves an important scientific function as well. Birds are one of the first groups of animals to be affected by environmental threats like pollution and habitat destruction, and CBC data provide indispensable information, not only on long-term health of bird populations, but also the status of the environment that birds share with all living things.

Apart from its attraction as a usually social, sporting, and competitive event, the annual count reveals interesting and scientifically useful information on the early-winter distribution patterns of various bird species and the over-all health of the environment.

The Christmas Bird Count is the longest running ornithological database. It continues to grow in importance as a means to monitor the status of resident and migratory bird populations across the western hemisphere. The CBC is 100% volunteer generated data that, over the years, has become a crucial part of the United States Government’s natural history monitoring database. Count data from 1900 to the present are currently available through BirdSource (www.birdsource.org), a cooperative project of the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

If you are interested in learning about this event and participating, the requirements are a pair of binoculars and the ability to identify our local resident birds. Each group meets early in the day at an assigned location and records all birds seen and heard. This list is compiled, reported to the national database and posted on our website. We are looking for new “counters” that can commit to this one day a year to help collect data on our local bird populations. Please join us.

*** Compilers’ wrap-up party and potluck dinner after the count this year is back!!! ***

If you are interested in joining this year, contact Washington Crossing Audubon Society at contact.wcas@gmail.com and someone will get back to as we are monitoring that mailbox hourly.

Princeton CBC 2019 Results

Princeton CBC 2019 Results