CBC Season

It's CBC season again!  A time of year when birders organize their efforts and agree to spend a day counting every bird in some small corner of the world, then celebrate together at a greasy local restaurant.  I missed the CBCs entirely last year, but this year I'm glad to be participating in at least two, the Yuma/Martinez Lake count and the South End of the Salton Sea.  I'm all about Imperial County, CA in my CBCs.  My December plans are up in the air, so who knows, maybe there will be more for me...

If you're not sure about the CBC schedule this year, have a look at Arizona counts or California counts.

Have you seen eBird's recommendations for entering your CBC data into eBird?  Read about it here!

Christmas Bird Count!

It's that time of year again!  The count period for Audubon's Christmas Bird Count begins tomorrow, December 14.  Have you figured out which CBCs you'll be participating in this year?  Will you be counting in one or two local circles or will you be traveling to experience a new area?

If you haven't decided yet, now's the time to figure it out and contact compilers!  You can see a map and list of Arizona counts here, California counts here, and Nevada counts here.

The LCRV is home to several great counts.  My local counts are on the Bill Williams River and Havasu NWRs, December 28 and 29.  Both provide a great opportunity to explore these fabulous refuges!  Further south is the Yuma count on Dec 31, and further north there is a CBC in Henderson, NV Dec 14.  Nearby but not in the LCRV is one of my favorite counts, the Salton Sea South, which is next Tuesday, Dec 20.  It is the perfect opportunity to experience the amazing Salton Sea, and there are always rarities to chase in the afternoon!

So what counts will you be participating in this year?  Myself, it's looking like I'm going to miss the CBC entirely, as my upcoming trip to California will not have us near any count circle on its count day!  Oh well, there's always next year...