Holding a partly-accessible Christmas/Winter Bird Count

The Christmas/Winter Bird Count (CBC) is an annual community science effort to collect information about bird populations in your local area, held from December 14 to  January 5 each year. It has been going for more than 120 years! Learn more about the Christmas Bird Count on the National Audubon website.

Like nearly every aspect of birding, CBCs have the potential to be inclusive and accessible to birders with disabilities and other health concerns, or at least partly. One way to help ensure that birding truly is for every body is to include one or more accessible birding locations within each CBC circle, so birders with access challenges can participate in the excitement that is the CBC!

Steps to implement a partly-accessible CBC in your area

Step 1: Locate a CBC “circle” in your area which you’d like to be part of. (Check the map of CBC circles here.)

Step 2: Identify accessible birding locations within the boundaries of the circle.

  • Consider: car birding, parking lots overlooking water, fields, trees, etc., feeder watching, and accessible parks and trails.

  • You do not need to submit a site review to the Birdability Map, but it might be helpful to your participants.

Step 3: Reach out to the CBC circle compiler as far in advance as possible of count day and let them know you’d be interested in incorporating an accessible portion this year. Propose the sites you have identified, and/ or ask for further suggestions if those sites already get covered. Most counts have established systems and volunteers in place, but an accessible count can be a complementary effort. You could also ask if you would be welcome to join in with established groups for part of the time. If it will not work out with the first compiler you contact, remember that there are likely other circles nearby. Compiler contact information is available on the map of CBC circles.

  • Often, compilers organize an event, known as a compilation gathering, at the end of the day for participants to come together, share sightings and have fun. We encourage you to ask the compiler if the location is accessible, and if not, consider volunteering to help locate a facility that will serve more people in the community. This may be a big ask, so consider getting involved and helping with this coordination in a future year if it’s not possible this year. An additional idea if the gathering location is inaccessible to you or someone in your group, is to ask if the compiler would be willing to include an online/video call component to the event for participants who cannot access the compilation venue.

Step 4: Reach out to your local disability community and invite folks to participate!

Joey and his wife Maeve participate in three CBC circles each year. The compliers give them first preference for the areas Joey can navigate in his power wheelchair, and off they go. Inclusion is easy, if it’s a priority! Photo: Maeve Coker.

Step 5 (Optional): Fill out the easy form below, so we can share about your partly-accessible CBC with others who may want to join in!

Step 6: Participate in the CBC! Count birds and take data! Your compiler will likely give you a specific data sheet to use. If not, use an eBird checklist and also take note of weather and temperature

Stop 7: Enjoy the birds, and have fun! Please consider sharing your photos with us by tagging @birdability on social media! You are also welcome to share your photos with us by email.

Factors to consider when coordinating a partly-accessible CBC

  • How will your CBC be conducted? 

    • Traveling on an accessible trail?

    • Sitting event? (Feederwatching can be part of the CBC as long as the location is within an established circle.)

    • Car birding?

    • Multiple locations or one site?

    • Combination of travelling, sitting and car birding?

      • Travel an accessible trail to a sitting location, sitting, travel back

      • Travel with sitting breaks along the way

  • Is there reliable public transportation to your location or between your locations? This may impact someone’s ability to participate.

  • Should you have a maximum group size? Is there enough interest to form multiple small  groups?

  • Can you join the compilation gathering with others in the circle? (If this will not held in an accessible place, could you join via a video chat such as Zoom?)

  • Should you invite other groups in the circle to visit your site during their day?

The Christmas Bird Count is organized by National Audubon, with whom Birdability has a wonderful partnership. Audubon’s CBC partner in Canada is Birds Canada. Please direct any general CBC questions to your local compiler or to The National Audubon Christmas Bird Count program at cbcadmin@audubon.org.

If you or your organization found this information helpful for your own work or programs, please consider donating to support our work in creating these resources. Thank you!

Photo in page header: Taken during the Birdability Big Sit 2021 at Joppa Flats Wildlife Sanctuary, Massachusetts, by Kari Sasportas.