Christmas Bird Counts for 2023 - 2024

  • Eastern Screech-Owl
    Eastern Screech-Owl
    Photo by Larry Dau
  • Red Crossbill
    Red Crossbill
    Photo by Adam Ciha
  • Barred Owl
    Barred Owl
    Photo by John Bissell

The Christmas Bird Count began in 1900 when Frank Chapman suggested that teams change their tradition of shooting birds as a Christmas sport to simply taking a census of them. In the ensuing years, the idea has grown and the CBC has become a winter tradition for many birders across the country with friendly competitions among states and even circles. As the first citizen science project, the CBC has captured enough data over the years that results are now used by various scientific organizations to document changes in bird populations. For more history and a neat video, check out the National Audubon's page on the CBC history. Log in to add a count to the calendar or edit a current one.

The following documents may be downloaded and used for your count:

All CBC counts must be held during one calendar day during the period of 14 December to 5 January. These are the CBC dates for this season. Click the cardinal icon to see the details.

Upcoming Counts

DetailsCountDateContact
Click for details Eldora-Union12/14/2023 Email  Mark Proescholdt
Click for details Northeast Madison County12/14/2023 Email  Tanner Donovan
Click for details Rathbun Reservoir12/15/2023 Email  Thomas Johnson
Click for details Rathbun Reservoir12/15/2023 Email  Thomas Johnson
Click for details Spirit Lake/Dickinson Co.12/15/2023 Email  Lee Schoenewe
Click for details Westfield 12/15/2023 Email  Jerry Probst
Click for details Bremer County12/16/2023 Email  Francis Moore
Click for details Burlington12/16/2023 Email  Charles R Fuller
Click for details Decorah12/16/2023 Email  Paul Skrade
Click for details Lamoni12/16/2023 Email  Jeffrey Livingston
Click for details Mason City12/16/2023 Email  Rita Goranson
Click for details Red Rock Reservoir12/16/2023 Email  Tyler Harms
Click for details Sioux City12/16/2023 Email  Jerry Probst
Click for details Cedar Falls-Waterloo12/17/2023 Email  Francis Moore
Click for details Davenport12/17/2023 Email  Kelly McKay
Click for details Iowa City12/17/2023 Email  Chris Edwards
Click for details Saylorville Reservoir12/17/2023 Email  Stephen Dinsmore
Click for details Andalusia-Buffalo12/18/2023 Email  Kelly McKay
Click for details Keokuk12/18/2023 Email  John Cecil
Click for details Clinton-Savanna12/19/2023 Email  Kelly McKay
Click for details Neal Smith NWR12/20/2023 Email  Nancy Corona
Click for details Yellow River Forest12/20/2023 Email  Billy Reiter-Marolf
Click for details Princeton-Camanche12/21/2023 Email  Kelly McKay
Click for details Western Mercer County12/22/2023 Email  Kelly McKay
Click for details Des Moines12/23/2023 Email  John Cecil
Click for details Ida County12/23/2023 Email  Don Poggensee
Click for details Muscatine12/23/2023 Email  Kelly McKay
Click for details Sac County 12/30/2023 Email  Elizabeth Partridge Blessington
Click for details Buchanan County1/2/2024 Email  Kelly McKay
Click for details Northwest Clayton County1/3/2024 Email  Kelly McKay
Click for details Union Slough NWR1/3/2024 Email  Tyler Harms
Click for details Southeast Clayton County1/4/2024 Email  Kelly McKay