Each year, Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society coordinates two census regions for the annual National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count – one that centers around the Milford region and another in the Fort Plain area.  These counts take place in late December each year between December 14 to January 5, inclusive dates, each season.

2016: Saturday, December 31 – Fort Plain Christmas Bird Count (CBC):
All are welcome to participate regardless of birding experience. There will be a potluck dinner after the count. For information contact Bob Donnelly: rsdonn@yahoo.com or 607-264-8156.

View Maps for the Fort Plain Christmas Bird Count.

2016: Saturday, December 17 – Oneonta Area Christmas Bird Count (CBC):  DOAS historical archive documents tell us that we have participated in the national count every year since the organization was established in 1968. All birders, novice or experienced, are welcome to join us on this fun day. Small groups in one or two cars count all the birds they find in their assigned area, within a designated 15-mile radius circle centered around Milford, for whatever hours they choose.

Each group has a leader who will have received appropriate materials beforehand. Alternatively, instead of joining a group, you can count birds at your own feeder off and on throughout the day if you are within our circle. If you are a new counter for either the group counts or the feeder counts, please contact Sandy Bright at sbright@hartwick.edu or 607-287-4465.   People who have participated before will be contacted.

View Map for the Oneonta Christmas Bird Count

View Data from past Christmas Bird Counts

Find a Bird Count Near You at the Audubon Map

The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a long-standing program of the National Audubon Society, with over 100 years of citizen science involvement. It is an early-winter bird census, where thousands of volunteers across the US, Canada and many countries in the Western Hemisphere, go out over a 24 hour period on one calendar day to count birds.