Bird Counts

For more than 100 years, birders of all levels joined together to count bird species all over the United States and abroard. Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society sponsors several of these counts each year, both at Christmas and in early summer. We need help from birders of all abilities so we can continue collecting this important data.

Christmas Bird Count (CBC)

Each December we participate in several Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) sponsored by the National Audubon Society. Organizations use data collected in this longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations and to help guide conservation action. Read about how the data are used and about the histories of our counts.

Each of our four predefined count circles are divided into sectors by the count leader and teams are assigned to count birds in each sector. Counters with less experience are teamed with those with more experienced. Even if beginning birders can't identify every bird, they provide important "extra eyes" in finding birds. A "countdown" dinner is held on the evening of the count, where groups share their results and tell tales of the day. There is a small count fee of $5 each to help offset the data publication costs incurred by National Audubon Society.

Please contact the count leader listed below or contact us if you would like to help or if you want more information.

San Jose - Sunday, December 20, 2009
This is our longest running count. It offers many different habitats to count: shorline, woodlands, lake-side, riparian, and urban parks in areas of San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, and Alviso. Please contact Kirsten Holmquist at (408) 747-0988 or email her at kirsten.holmquist@comcast.net

Palo Alto - Monday, December 21, 2009
Count birds in areas from from Skyline Drive to the bay in a circle that is centered near Stanford University. Many habitats are covered. In addition to the popular birding locales in the circle, it also covers many urban areas of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. Please contact Jack Cole at (408) 996-0434 or email him at snoyowl@yahoo.com

Calero-Morgan Hill - Saturday, December 26, 2009
This is the only count covering southern Santa Clara County. The circle includes the Diablo Range foothills to portions of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Some specific areas of interest include Coyote Creek (including Ogier Ponds), Almaden Lake Park, Quicksilver County Park, Guadalupe Oak Grove Park, Coyote Valley, and many reservoirs. Please contact Ann Verdi at (408) 266-5108 or email her at wodu10@aol.com

Mount Hamilton - Saturday, January 2, 2009
This scenic count circle includes Mount Hamilton and the San Antonio Valley. Interested counters should contact Bob Hirt at (408) 821-2732.

Summer Bird Count

SCVAS sponsors a bird count each year near the beginning of June, which covers a portion of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties (same area as the Palo Alto Christmas Bird Count). As well as counting birds, groups of observers also record any signs of breeding, such as mating, nest building, or feeding of fledged young. These counts are important in documenting trends of breeding activity. As with the Christmas Bird Count, birders of all levels are encouraged to participate, and a "countdown" dinner is held in the evening.

Palo Alto
June 2010
Day to be announced

Last modified in October 2009.