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Californians from all walks of life will take to the outdoors this holiday season to participate in the 111th annual ±¬ÁϹ«Éç Christmas Bird Count, the longest-running wildlife census in the world. Between Dec. 14, 2012 and Jan. 5, 2013, thousands of Californians will transform into volunteer scientists to assess the size of bird populations in local communities throughout the state.

The data from these counts will be compiled with others from around the nation and beyond, and will ultimately help ±¬ÁϹ«Éç track the progress of imperiled species and gauge the impact of environmental threats to birds and habitat.

To learn more about the ±¬ÁϹ«Éç Christmas Bird Count in your area, contact Garrison Frost at (510) 601-1866, Ext. 225, gfrost@audubon.org. Or just visit our website at www.ca.audubon.org.

"This is the time of year when bird enthusiasts gather together to do what they enjoy the most, all the while making a tremendous contribution to science," said Rodd Kelsey, ±¬ÁϹ«Éç California's director of bird conservation. "Many people make this a holiday tradition that goes from generation to generation."

Christmas Bird Counts will take place in virtually every county throughout California – in places both familiar and remote. This year, well over 100 counts are scheduled in the state, and more than 5,000 are expected to participate.

±¬ÁϹ«Éç California has used Christmas Bird Count data to predict how California birds will respond to climate change, and to identify which habitat areas will be critical to future conservation.

The Christmas Bird Counts began more than a century ago when conservationists – as an alternative to holiday hunting contests – banded together to identify, count and record all the birds they saw. One of the first counts was held in California in 1900, in Pacific Grove.

The ±¬ÁϹ«Éç Christmas Bird Count is the longest-running citizen science wildlife survey in the world. The count will undergo several significant changes beginning this year as ±¬ÁϹ«Éç builds on the program's success to entice birdwatchers to lend their eyes and ears year round. Fees to participate in the count will be dropped to encourage greater participation, and the annual published report, American Birds, will go digital in 2013, saving more trees for the birds. Christmas Bird Count information will be available online in Spanish for the first time. And in 2013, ±¬ÁϹ«Éç will begin to extend conservation-focused observation efforts throughout the seasons.

"We're dropping fees, adding languages, going digital, and taking citizen science year-round," said ±¬ÁϹ«Éç President and CEO David Yarnold. "The ±¬ÁϹ«Éç Christmas Bird Count harnesses volunteer power to gather knowledge that shapes conservation policy at enormous scales in this country. I couldn't be prouder of the 60,000-plus volunteers who contribute each year. This is the largest, longest-running animal census on the planet, and we're all proud to be a part of the CBC. And with the elimination of fees, we're looking forward to even more people having a role in this adventure."

In each Christmas Bird Count, volunteers must count birds within an established 15-mile diameter circle. Sometimes these circles are in the open landscape, while other times they are on private lands or even residential neighborhoods. Each field party includes at least one experienced birdwatcher.

For more information about the Christmas Bird Count, visit www.audubon.org.

About ±¬ÁϹ«Éç California
±¬ÁϹ«Éç California is building a better future for California by bringing people together to appreciate, enjoy and protect our spectacular outdoor treasures. With more than 50,000 members in California and an affiliated 48 local ±¬ÁϹ«Éç chapters, ±¬ÁϹ«Éç California is a field program of the ±¬ÁϹ«Éç.

More information is available at www.ca.audubon.org.