Since 1950, there has been a Madison-area count every single year, making this the 97th overall Madison-area CBC and the 75th consecutive. The Madison-area CBC was held on December 20, 2025.

Photo by Edgar Spalding

As I write this, the snow is falling in the most delightful way. The chickadees are flitting about as if to encourage and confirm that winter birding is fun and productive! Little do they know, a community of hundreds of volunteers combed the city on Saturday, counting them and their feathered comrades for the Madison-area Christmas Bird Count.

Photo by Gail Smith

Each December, birders come together for the longest-running citizen science project in the US: the Christmas Bird Count. In the Madison-area, the count is coordinated by our organization, and put on with help from around 200 volunteers each year.

Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar