The annual Christmas Bird Count is coming up! There are 20 active counts in New Hampshire, and they are open to all interested birders. Check here for a map of the counts, the dates, and the contact person for each count.

Each count takes place in a designated “count circle” on a specific day. The coordinator assigns teams to count birds in each section of the circle, but if you live in the circle you can simply count the birds in your backyard. Each count’s survey area stays the same from year to year, comprising a circle fifteen miles in diameter around a central point.

International in scope, the Christmas Bird Count is organized and compiled by the National Audubon Society, who coordinates all count circles so they don’t overlap. Each count picks its own particular survey day between December 14 and January 5. So join in a 100-year-old tradition and have some winter fun!

If you don’t live in a Christmas Bird Count circle and would still like to count your feeder birds this winter, please take part in our annual Backyard Winter Bird Survey.