Please review the following before going out to your CBC location[s]. Ensure you have coordinated with your local CBC compiler to know where to count. This will help avoid any duplicate counting that may arise.

 

Stop along your route wherever and for as long as you need to.

 

Please, do not trespass on private property, and be aware that some people may stop and ask if you're lost, or need help. If this happens, introduce yourself and explain what you are doing and what the CBC is about. 

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Record current weather conditions:

Weather tends to influence birds' activities. Your tally sheet allows you to record temperature from when you start and finish your count, as well as wind speed, wind direction, whether it's clear or cloudy, raining or snowing, and condition of snow cover. 

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Designated census route:

A census-style route should be run by each party or group. Their route will be covered in-depth where they are responsible for counting every bird they encounter by sight or sound. To ensure that no double-counting occurs, no other group should encounter or attempt to overlap that route. Please check with the area's CBC compiler to verify the area you are to cover, and who will be covering other areas that may create potential overlap or counting conflicts.

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Counting while driving backroads:

Keep a tally of the species of birds and their numbers that you see on a sheet of paper. This is your tally sheet. Here is an example to demonstrate how a CBC census count should go.

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Let's say you saw three (3) Ravens and two (2) Magpies during the first few minutes of your count. On your piece of paper, jot down:

 

• Ravens - 3

• Magpies - 2

 

Moving on to the next point on your route, you notice some roadkill and decide to stop and watch what comes in. Five (5) Magpies and one (1) Raven stop by to eat. On your tally sheet, you note down these numbers respectively: 

 

• Ravens - 3 + 1

• Magpies - 2 + 5

 

This brings your count up to seven (7) Magpies and four (4) Ravens. Further down your route, you observe two more Magpies fly up to a tree near the road. Jotting these numbers down on your tally sheet brings your total up to nine (9) Magpies.

 

• Ravens - 3 + 1 = 4

• Magpies - 2 + 5 + 2 = 9

 

If you see no more Magpies at the end of your count, you have now nine magpies to record as your final number (in addition to the four ravens).

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Retracing your route:

Many times you will see multiple birds of the same species at different points on your route. Write down the number of species that you see at that point, adding to the numbers that you wrote down previously. Avoid counting birds on any part of your route you need to retrace unless there are additional numbers or newly observed species. This is because there's a significant chance that the birds you saw on that part of your route will be the same birds you've already counted.

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However, if you encounter new individuals or a different species not observed previously as you retrace your tracks, include them in your tally list.

 

You went walking down a trail and note down three (3) Black-capped Chickadees and five (5) Common Redpolls. You decide to retrace your steps because the trail doesn't have a different exit back to your vehicle or home. On your way back you see one (1) Hairy Woodpecker and eight (8) Common Redpolls. Adding these, your tally should now be:

 

• Black-capped Chickadees - 3

• Common Redpolls - 8

• Hairy Woodpeckers - 1

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Counting large flocks of birds: 

Large flocks of over ten (10) or 20 birds are difficult to count. The quickest way to count such large groups is to make a sweep of a subgroup of about ten birds and take note of how big of an area those ten birds cover. Sweep the entire flock counting groups of about the same size (estimating in groups of tens). Don't worry about accuracy, count to the best that you can. If others are using the same method, compare the number of birds they observed to what you found, and make an average agreeable number. This method is very helpful if you're faced with counting large flocks of redpolls, snow buntings, or even geese that have chosen to remain behind due to food availability.

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Watching home feeders:

Avoid counting birds that come to your feeders. You will run the risk of over-counting or counting double--or more--the number of birds that are actually present at the point in time you are doing your count. Focus only on counting the maximum number of individuals seen and/or heard at one time for that species. Do not keep adding chickadees for the entire watch period, for example. If you have a large flock of chickadees or redpolls, it is best to have more than one person counting together to get an accurate count.

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If you are watching your feeders for more than 30 minutes, count the birds as a feeder watch. Keep this separate from your tally count. 

 

If you are watching a feeder in a yard as you are driving or walking a route, do a maximum observed count; add this to your tally.

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Counting during "count week":

Making counts during what is called "count week" is applicable for those who live within the designated CBC circles. The count week runs three days prior and three days after the count day. For example, you would be able to start counting birds on December 16th, 2021 when the count day is on December 19th, 2021. You can then continue counting birds up to December 22nd, 2021. 

 

For each species observed during the count week, record the number observed, making sure to note that the counts were obtained during count week only. Write "CW" beside any counts made during this time period.

 

Take pictures if you can! It really helps to better identify species and numbers of large flocks.