Christmas Bird Count For Kids (CBC4Kids)

Every year for over a century, “Christmas Bird Counts” (CBC's) have been organized across America through Audubon, mainly for adults, during mid-December and early January. Young kids with their families are often not... [ view full abstract ]

Every year for over a century, “Christmas Bird Counts” (CBC's) have been organized across America through Audubon, mainly for adults, during mid-December and early January. Young kids with their families are often not included with this important 24-hour rigorous “citizen science” effort...so we (Sonoma Birding) created the CBC 4 Kids and families...a stand-alone, half-day event instilling some of the important basic ingredients of this grand old Audubon tradition.

The target age is 8-16 and a parent must participate with each youngster. Today there are nearly 100 events offered from Alaska to Florida and in every providence of Canada, in Spanish, French, and English. The objective is to have fun and potentially create a “hometown team” of birders and conservationists for the future, while encouraging families to enjoy and respect nature together. It simple takes only 2-3 small teams of kids to get started! Target a date over the Christmas and New Years holidays sometime in December-January, while the winter birds are settled. It is a simple, healthy, holiday celebration for almost any school, youth group, Audubon Chapter, or nature center, wildlife refuge or local community...anywhere!

The work of Tom Rusert and Darren Peterie through Sonoma Birding (founders of the CBC4Kids) won the 2013 John Muir "Conservationist of the Year" Award, and the American Birding Association's 2011-12 Ludlow Griscom Award, which was first presented to Roger Tory Peterson. The CBC4Kids movement has been featured on NPR's BirdNote and their Annual Report, Cornell Lab's eBird (online tool) and Young Birders newsletter, American Birding Association's Birders Guide to Conservation and Community, the Wilderness Society's magazine, The Washington Post, and Audubon's American Birds magazine. Bird Studies Canada is our international partner for the CBC4Kids.