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

Each December, birders come together for the longest-running citizen science project in the US: the Christmas Bird Count. The national effort is coordinated by National Audubon Society, but there are thousands of counts done locally, coordinated by local birders. In the Madison-area, the count is coordinated by Madison Audubon, and put on with help from over 100 volunteers each year.

Photo by Arlene Koziol