Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society coordinates THREE regions for the annual National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count – Oneonta Region in Otsego County, Fort Plain Region in Montgomery County, and Delaware County Region. These counts take place in late December and early January each year.

*As of 2012, there is no longer any fee to participate in Christmas Bird Counts

MONTGOMERY COUNTY/Fort Plain Area

2024: Saturday, December 28 – Fort Plain Christmas Bird Count (CBC):
All are welcome to participate regardless of birding experience. For information contact Contact Charlie Scheim at scheimc@hartwick.edu or by phone 607-434-4880.

View Maps for the Fort Plain Christmas Bird Count.

Other DOAS Christmas Bird Counts

OTSEGO COUNTY

2024: Saturday, December 14 – Oneonta Christmas Bird Count (CBC):

We have been participating in the national count for over 50 years!. Everyone, novice or experienced, is 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 our 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 brights@hartwick.edu or 607-287-4465. People who have participated before will be contacted.

View Map for the Oneonta Christmas Bird Count

Oneonta Region Data – Compiled – 1969 to 2023
(This is a large data file shared online and may take a minute or so to display at the link.)

Oneonta Region Data – 2022
(Thank you Sandy Bright!)

DELAWARE COUNTY

2025: Sunday, January 5– Delaware County Region Christmas Bird Count (CBC):

The Delaware County CBC (NYDE) was established in 2017 following a test run in 2016.  Our 15 mile circle is centered at Bear Spring Mountain in Walton and extends to Hamden, Downsville and Shinhopple.   The territory is quite remote and includes steep hollows, forests, river valleys, two villages and sections of the Pepacton and Cannonsville Reservoirs. 

All are welcomed to participate by joining a team of counters or reporting from a backyard feeder, if it is within the count circle.  We conduct our count the first weekend in January. Contact Pam Peters if you are interested in participating or learning more: ovenb1rdp@gmail.com or (607) 829-6545.

2023 Count Report

Delaware County Data 2016 to 2023

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.

Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society coordinates THREE regions for the annual National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count – Oneonta Region in Otsego County, Fort Plain Region in Montgomery County, and Delaware County Region. These counts take place in late December and early January each year.

*As of 2012, there is no longer any fee to participate in Christmas Bird Counts.

DELAWARE COUNTY

2025: Sunday, January 5 – Delaware County Region Christmas Bird Count (CBC):

The Delaware County CBC (NYDE) was established in 2017 following a test run in 2016.  Our 15 mile circle is centered at Bear Spring Mountain in Walton and extends to Hamden, Downsville and Shinhopple.   The territory is quite remote and includes steep hollows, forests, river valleys, two villages and sections of the Pepacton and Cannonsville Reservoirs. 

All are welcomed to participate by joining a team of counters or reporting from a backyard feeder, if it is within the count circle.  We conduct our count the first weekend in January. Contact Pam Peters if you are interested in participating or learning more: ovenb1rdp@gmail.com or (607) 829-6545.

2023 Count Report

Delaware County Data 2016 to 2023

Other DOAS Christmas Bird Counts

OTSEGO COUNTY

2024: Saturday, December 14 – Oneonta Christmas Bird Count (CBC):

We have been participating in the national count for over 50 years!. Everyone, novice or experienced, is 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 our 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 brights@hartwick.edu or 607-287-4465. People who have participated before will be contacted.

View Map for the Oneonta Christmas Bird Count

Oneonta Region Data – Compiled – 1969 to 2023
(This is a large data file shared online and may take a minute or so to display at the link.)

Oneonta Region Data – 2022
(Thank you Sandy Bright!)

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

2024: Saturday, December 28 – Fort Plain Christmas Bird Count (CBC):
All are welcome to participate regardless of birding experience. For information contact Contact Charlie Scheim at scheimc@hartwick.edu or by phone 607-434-4880.

View Maps for the Fort Plain 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.

Join Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society (DOAS) on Friday, January 17 at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom, for a presentation on Birdability’s initiatives to enhance access and inclusivity for birders with disabilities and other health challenges.

Cat Fribley, Executive Director of Birdability.org, and Virginia Rose, founder of Birdability, will delve into the organization’s mission, providing a detailed exploration of its efforts to make birding more accessible and inclusive, and how we all have a role.

This session will introduce the Birdability Map, provide information about barriers and what helps create access for birders with disabilities and other health concerns, and offer practical insights for creating accessible events and spaces. Attendees will gain actionable tips and tools to help create access and inclusion in their communities.

REGISTER HERE

Presenter Bio

Cat Fribley (she/her) serves as the Executive Director of Birdability. With a rich background in nonprofit development, a passion for birding, and a steadfast commitment to disability rights, she brings a unique perspective to this role. Cat’s journey into birding began in college, where it became a source of mental health support and healing following a PTSD diagnosis. Over time, a series of physical injuries and illnesses led her to seek adaptive ways to continue birding as a form of mindfulness and connection with nature, despite limited mobility. Her experiences navigating accessible birding opportunities while traveling to all 50 states have made her especially attuned to the work of Birdability and the importance of the Birdability Map. She now resides in Iowa City, IA, with her wife and two indoor cats, within a beloved community and among a variety of backyard birds.

Virginia Rose (she/her) fell off a horse at the age of 14 which resulted in a spinal cord injury. A wheelchair user ever since, she began birding 17 years ago and discovered her best self in nature. She founded Birdabilty in 2018 and leads accessible Birdability outings for Travis Audubon and at birding festivals each year. As a retired high school English teacher, she is passionate about bringing the same joy, empowerment and community she found in birding and nature to others who have mobility challenges.

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a free, fun, and easy event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of bird populations. Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the four-day event and report their sightings online at birdcount.org. Anyone can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, from beginning bird watchers to experts, and you can participate from your backyard, or anywhere in the world.

Each checklist submitted during the GBBC helps researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society learn more about how birds are doing, and how to protect them and the environment we share. Last year, more than 140,000 participants submitted their bird observations online, creating the largest instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations ever recorded.

The 28th annual GBBC will be held Friday, February 14 through Monday, February 17, 2025. Please visit the official website at www.birdcount.org for more information and be sure to check out the latest educational and promotional resources.

“This count is so fun because anyone can take part —we all learn and watch birds together—whether you are an expert, novice, or feeder watcher. I like to invite new birders to join me and share the experience. Get involved, invite your friends, and see how your favorite spot stacks up.” -Gary Langham, Chief Scientist

On the program website participants can explore real-time maps and charts that show what others are reporting during and after the count. Be sure to check out the Explore a Region tool to get an idea of what you can expect to see in your area during the next GBBC.

Register to Participate at www.birdcount.org

For questions and comments, please contact the Cornell Lab of Ornithology or the National Audubon Society:

Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Inside the US: (800) 843-2473
Outside the US: (607) 254-2473)
gbbc@cornell.edu

National Audubon Society
citizenscience@audubon.org

The Great Backyard Bird Count is made possible, in part, by generous support from Wild Birds Unlimited.

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