Audubon Christmas Bird Counts

Maine Audubon needs birders to cover different pieces of our 176-square-mile Christmas Count circle, checking every field and patch of woods for birds. This is a fun, important annual survey, with time in the field that brings together birders of all abilities.

History  

On Christmas Day 1900, the group initiated an alternative to the traditional holiday 'side hunt,' in which teams competed to see who could shoot the most birds. Instead of hunting, the group counted the birds they saw, thus founding one of the most significant citizen-based conservation efforts and a century-old institution.

Today, almost 55,000 volunteers from all 50 states, every Canadian province, parts of Central and South America, Bermuda, the West Indies, and Pacific islands will count and record every individual bird and bird species seen during one 24-hour calendar day.

About 1,800 individual counts will be held during a two-and-a-half week period. Each group has a designated circle 15 miles in diameter - about 177 square miles - where they try to cover as much ground as possible within a day.

Purpose

Apart from its attraction as a social, sporting, and competitive event, CBC reveals scientific information on the winter distributions of various bird species as well as the over-all health of the environment.

CBC is the longest running ornithological database and continues to grow in importance as a monitor of the status of resident and migratory birds across the western hemisphere.

The data, 100% volunteer generated, has become a crucial part of the U. S. Government's natural history monitoring database.

When / Where

December 14, 2009 - January 5, 2010

York County:

Monday, December 14

Contact Pat Moynahan at (207) 284-5487 or pmmoynahan@maine.rr.com

Augusta:

Saturday, December 19

Contact Jay Adams at (207) 441-7357 or jay@oldfortwestern.org

Greater Portland:

Saturday, December 19

Contact Bill Hancock at (207) 657-3485 or

wph@maine.rr.com

Jonesport/Moose Island:

Saturday, December 19

Contact Patti Reilly at (207) 276-3311 or

preilly@entrix.com

Lewiston/Auburn:

Saturday, December 19

Contact Stan DeOrsey (207) 933-2266 or

jsmd@att.net

Lower Kennebec/Sheepscot:

Saturday, December 19

Contact Don Hudson at (207) 882-7323 or

dhudson@chewonki.org

Mount Desert Island:

Saturday, December 19

Contact Michael Good at (207) 288-8128 or info@downeastnaturetours.com

Orono/Old Town:

Saturday, December 19

Contact Paul Markson at (207) 947-9906 or oronopaul@myfairpoint.net

Thomaston/Rockland:

Saturday,December 19

Contact Don Reimer at (207) 273-3146 or

reimer6117@tds.net

Unity:

Saturday, December 19

Contact Dave Potter at lsdj@uninets.net or Friends of Unity Wetlands at (207) 948-3766

Blue Hill:

Sunday, December 20

Contact Leda Beth Gray at (207) 374-3675 or ledabeth@gwi.net

Isle of Shoals:

Sunday, December 20

Contact Ben Griffith at (603) 801-1856 or bgriffith@gmail.com

Rangeley:

Sunday, December 20

Contact Jennifer Perry at (603) 463-3085 or jenniferperry@metrocast.net

Waterville:

Sunday, December 20

Contact Bets Brown at (207) 445-4967 or

wilbro@fairpoint.net

Bunker Hill/Jefferson:

Monday, December 21

Contact John Weinrich at (207) 563-2930 or jweinrich@roadrunner.com

Eastport:

Saturday, December 26

Contact Maurice Mills at (207) 726-4494 or mills8111@roadrunner.com

Pemaquid/Damariscotta:

Saturday,December 26

Contact Joe Gray at (207) 563-3578 or joegray@roadrunner.com

Farmington:

Sunday, December 27

Contact Trevor Persons at (207) 634-2280 or trevor.persons@nau.edu

Sweden:

Monday, December 28

Contact Jean Preis at (207) 647-2847 or birdwriter@merryfieldcove.com

Schoodic Point:

Friday, January 1

Contact William Townsend at (207) 288-5654 or wtownsend@roadrunner.com

Bangor/Bucksport:

Saturday, January 2

Contact Jerry Smith at (207) 825-4920 or jerrya_smith@yahoo.com

Biddeford/Kennebunkport:

Saturday, January 2

Contact Marie Jordan at (207) 799-1408 or

mijord@maine.rr.com

Dennysville/Pembroke:

Saturday, January 2

Contact Maurice Mills at (207) 726-4494 or mills8111@roadrunner.com

Greater Deer Isle:

Saturday, January 2

Contact Tom Bjorkman at (207) 374-3644 or tom@bluehillfalls.org

North Penobscot Bay:

Saturday,January 2

Contact Seth Benz at 207-338-0940 or

stbenz@roadrunner.com

Presque Isle:

Saturday, January 2

Contact Bill Sheehan at (207) 760-3136(day) / (207) 493-4658(night) or bill.j.sheehan@gmail.com

Freeport/Brunswick:

Sunday, January 3

Contact Stella Walsh at (207) 807-3679 or stellawalsh@earthlink.net or Don Hudson at (207) 882-7323 or donhudson@chewonki.org

Dover-Foxcroft:

T.B.A.

Contact Charles Dorchester at c.d.dorch@juno.com

Machias Bay:

T.B.A.

Contact Gayle Kraus at gkraus@maine.edu

Matinicus:

T.B.A.

Contact Jeff Wells at jeffwells@gwi.net

Misery Township/The Forks:

T.B.A.

Contact Wendy Howes at (978) 928-4737 or curiousbooks@verizon.net

More about Audubon Counts