Research

Christmas Bird Count

Community Science
Hermit Thrush eating partridge berry Photo: Mark Musselman, Audubon South Carolina

The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a long-standing program of the National Audubon Society that began more than 100 years ago as method of monitoring winter bird populations throughout North America. All individual CBC's are conducted in the period from December 14th to January 5th each season, and each count is conducted in one calendar day.

To conduct the Four Holes Swamp count, teams of CBC volunteers follow specified routes through a designated 15-mile (24-km) diameter circle, counting every bird they see or hear all day. It is not just a species tally--all birds are counted all day, giving an indication of the total number of birds in the circle that day.

Volunteers need not be expert birders.

Keep an eye out for news of our next Christmas Bird Count!