We’re sorry, this event is cancelled due to an unexpected scheduling conflict.
Madison is home to thousands of bird-lovers, just like you. The annual Christmas Bird Count is a great citizen science project that involves meeting other enthusiastic birders and helping collect important data about birds in the at the same time!
Over 100 volunteers will tally birds during the Madison CBC. We invite you to join the Madison-area CBC Indoor Sit & Birdwatching event—an accessible, inclusive opportunity for folks of skill levels to enjoy some birding and camaraderie while contributing data to the count.
This event will be held inside the Frautschi Family Learning Center at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, which has a wonderful view of the gardens and landscaping that birds enjoy. The room also features windows that have been treated to prevent bird-window collisions, so you can learn more about that if you wish! We will have cookies and cider to share.
Together, we will observe and document the birds and species we see as a group. The data will be shared with the CBC compliers and incorporated into the day’s totals.
Bring your curiosity and good cheer, and your own own binoculars, scope, or field guides if you want (we will also have extra binoculars and monoculars available to use).
Accessibility features
Family-friendly and beginning birders are welcome
Wheelchair, white-can, stroller, and walker accessible (all paved, no steps)
Distance traveled: fewer than 100yds, primarily seated event
This event is co-hosted by Badgerland Bird Alliance and Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Staff from both organizations will be on site to welcome and bird with you!
More about the Christmas Bird Count
The Christmas Bird Count, held annually throughout North America between mid-December and early-January, is a snapshot of where bird species are found during the winter season. Birders count the number and individuals of species over a 24 hour period, and submit the data to National Audubon. This project is important for estimating distributions and populations, and find oddities in nature (e.g., what is that clay-colored sparrow doing in Wisconsin in December?). It is considered the longest-running formal citizen science project in the nation, now in it’s 122nd year! Learn more here.
Cover image by Kelly Colgan Azar. A Dark-eyed Junco perches on a dried grass with snow on the ground below.
