Indiana Official Bird Counts
The Indiana Audubon Society sponsors and helps host several bird counts over the course of a year. Each count has it’s own protocol and data sheets. IAS Members are encouraged to participate and assist in these great citizen science opportunities. Some counts are organized by partner organizations and information can be found on their count pages. To download the the Indiana Audubon state birding checklist, click here.
CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
Coopers Hawk by Mark Welter
IAS members can participate in one of the annual Christmas Bird Counts, sponsored by the National Audubon Society. Indiana data is collected additionally for publication in the Indiana Audubon Quarterly, submitted by the state compiler. Count dates depend on compilers submitting info, so if a count is missing, please let us know. Find out more about the Christmas Bird Counts.
BIG MAY DAY BIRD COUNT
Ruby-throated Hummingbird by Mike Timmons
The objective of the Big May Day Bird Count is to count the number of birds of each species occurring in a participating county area from midnight to midnight on the second Saturday in May. This data snapshot provides a valuable scientific record of the bird populations occurring each year in Indiana. The results will be compiled, analyzed, and published in the Indiana Audubon Quarterly. This year’s date is Saturday, May 11, 2019.
Visit the Big May Day Count Page to learn more about this program. You may also contact the count editor, Matt Kalwasinski, at mattkalwasinski@yahoo.com to be put in contact with your county compiler, or to volunteer to be a county compiler if the county in which you wish to participate does not have one assigned.
GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT
Northern Cardinal by Mike Timmons.
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 160,000 participants submitted their bird observations online, creating the largest instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations ever recorded.
The 22nd annual GBBC will be held Friday, February 15, through Monday, February 18, 2019. Please visit the official website at birdcount.org for more information and be sure to check out the latest educational and promotional resources.
