The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is widely regarded as the largest and oldest citizen science project in the world. Each year, from 14 December through 5 January, tens of thousands of volunteers head out into the winter landscape to count birds for a day. This tradition goes back to 1900, and in the intervening years, these birders have built a database on bird populations that is unmatched by any other wildlife census. TINS Co-founder Will Richardson has coordinated the South Lake Tahoe CBC since 2004.

Due to Covid-19, we will most likely have to change the structure of the count. This year, we will be prioritizing data and will not facilitate a social count. Historically, we would meet the morning of the count at the local coffee shop and proceed to bird together as a group at Cove East. We will be cancelling the morning routine this year and instead, have come up with two alternative options:

Option one: The Backyard CBC. We encourage folks to participate in the 2021 CBC by monitoring birds in your yards or at your feeder. This way, you can kick back, relax, and learn about the birds that inhabit your yard, all while practicing social distancing. Be sure to hang up your feeder a few weeks leading up to the count, so the birds get used to the location of your seeds.

Option two: Dedication to the Chase. If you want to chase birds on foot, we are looking for experienced avian enthusiasts to find birds at an assigned location. We have decided to appoint small groups, such as families, couples, or people that have consistently been in close contact with one another to specific locations around South Lake Tahoe and Meyers to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Please let us know if you would like to be assigned to a specific location(s), and we will do our best to make it work on a first come, first serve basis.

We are looking forward to the count and to see how many species we can find.

Click here to register.

Find more information on the event here.