The Christmas Bird Count is the longest running community science project in the nation. Birders, from beginners to advanced, have participated in this once-a-year count effort within established 15-mile diameter circles (see maps). Compilers and participants work together to ensure that important bird habitats are covered, and there is always room to add yard and local patch observations, so long as the number of people observing and the time spent observing are recorded, along with a full list and numbers of all species observed. Los Angeles Audubon Society sponsors three counts, led by experienced compilers.

Lancaster – Saturday, December 17, 2022

Compilers: Mary and Nick Freeman Contact: mnfreeman[at]earthlink.net or (818) 636-4361

Contact Mary and Nick to be placed on a team or given an area. Please provide cell phone number, town of residence, and skill level (scribes needed too!). For team-forming purposes, please tell us if you: 1) already have a team put together (and who they are likely to be), 2) wish to survey alone, 3) are willing to share a car with other enthusiastic birders, 4) will survey with others, but prefer to drive your own car, 5) with others in the same car who have had a quick-Covid test, or 6) others with a quick-Covid test who will wear a mask in the car. Prairie Falcon, Mountain Bluebird, Greater Roadrunner, LeConte’s Thrasher, and Burrowing and Long-eared owls always to usually reported by someone! We are planning to have the Lunch Compilation at Sgt. Steve Owen Memorial Park at 43063 10th St. West (formerly Lancaster Central Park) at 12:30 p.m. 

Malibu – Sunday December 18, 2022

Compiler: Dick Norton Contact: richardjnorton[at]yahoo.com or (310) 455-1138

All areas are assigned before the count. Contact Dick by email or telephone to be assigned an area. There is no early morning gathering. Participants meet for lunch and a preliminary assessment at about 1:00 p.m. at Malibu Bluffs Park, located at the southern end of Malibu Canyon Road.

Los Angeles – Sunday, January 1, 2023

Compiler: Dan Cooper. Contact: dan[at]cooperecological.com or lathrotriccus[at]gmail.com. On count day, contact by text to (323) 397-3562.

Email Dan if you would like to bird as a “dispersed group” in the following locations: Del Rey Lagoon, Playa Del Rey; Kenneth Hahn Park, near Culver City or Echo Park Lake. Otherwise:

(Even) if you have done this CBC last year/before, please contact Dan and let him know if you would like to do the same area you covered in the past.

If you would like a new area, contact Dan and let him know that too.

If this is your first time on the Los Angeles count (or if you were with a group before and now want to go solo), please either:

Count in your neighborhood, or

Contact Dan for ideas on where to go.

The CBC procedures on count day is as follows:

Count birds within the Los Angeles Count Circle all morning (see figure; preferably using eBird “hotspots”);

Text Dan at some point to let him know if you got any rarities, or missed any common birds you were pretty sure you would find (we can discuss this in advance)

Enter your sightings – including all photos and details on rarities – to eBird using your own username/account;

SHARE your eBird checklist(s) with the following username: LosAngelesCBC

Click “Share w/ Others in Your Party” on the right-hand side, and share with the username LosAngelesCBC

Note: Some people continue to count in the afternoon/evening (areas that weren’t well covered, or later for owls), or will chase birds that were found that morning. Just note the time you counted in your eBird checklist.

Once again, share your count day list(s) with: LosAngelesCBC

Please DO NOT share your lists with “Dan Cooper”, “lathrotriccus@gmail.com”, dan@cooperecological.com” or “dcooper137”

If you cannot figure out eBird, just send Dan a list of your total species and individuals, and he will enter them for you. Dan will post a summary of the count a few days afterward, but you’ll always be able to see your sightings, and others’ who did the count, in eBird.

Participation in the Christmas Bird Count is free. If you would like to support the count and its data management and outreach infrastructure, please consider donating to National Audubon Society: http://www.audubon.org/conservation/join-christmas-bird-count