Every year, between December 14th and January 5th, dedicated volunteers brave various weather conditions to participate in the annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) across the country. CBCs are organized by local volunteer compilers through the National Audubon Society. Indiana Audubon, an independent organization, helps promote these counts across Indiana to benefit our state’s birdlife.
The Audubon Christmas Bird Count involves over 70,000 volunteer bird counters in 2,400+ locations, providing crucial data for bird population health at a scale that professional scientists could never accomplish alone. Birders and nature enthusiasts rise before dawn to join the longest running wildlife census. Watch the video below to learn more about the experience.
Data compiled in Indiana will record every individual bird and bird species seen in a specified area, contributing to a vast citizen science network that continues a tradition stretching back more than 100 years. Indiana Audubon contributes to this citizen science effort, providing information on the various counts and producing a comprehensive summary.
How to Participate
The 2025 Christmas Bird Count will take place from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5. In Indiana, there are several count locations, each with its own unique date and contact person. To participate in a count (or several), go to the National Audubon Society’s interactive map. You can zoom in on Indiana and the area where you want to help. Click on one of the circle icons to get the compiler’s email address and contact them via email.
For your data to be included in the larger CBC database, your circle must be an officially sanctioned National Audubon count.
Confirmed CBC Dates
Below are the confirmed CBCs for 2025, listed alphabetically by count circle name, with contact information for details and RSVPs. Access the list organized by date via this Google document, and remember to check the National Audubon Society CBC Map for the most up to date count locations.
- Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge – Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 (Joe Robb, [email protected])
- Bremen – Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 (Leland Shaum, [email protected])
- Calumet City-Sand Ridge – Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025 (John Elliott, [email protected])
- Eagle Creek Valley – Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 (Aidan Rominger, [email protected])
- Elkhart – Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 (Ronda DeClaire, [email protected])
- Evansville – Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 (Jacob Scheller, [email protected])
- Fort Wayne – Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 (Cole Buffenbarger, [email protected])
- Gene Stratton-Porter Historic Site – Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025 (Tiffany Parker, [email protected])
- Goose Pond – Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025 (Jim Brown, [email protected])
- Grant County – Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 (Laurie Marx, [email protected])
- Greenfield – Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 (Adam Wilson, [email protected])
- Hamilton County – Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 (Janet Tuten, [email protected])
- Indiana Dunes National Park West – Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 (Ken Wysocki, [email protected])
- Indiana Dunes State Park – Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 (Kim Ehn, [email protected])
- Indianapolis – Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025 (Wes Homoya, [email protected])
- Jamestown – Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 (Roger Hedge, [email protected])
- Jasper-Pulaski FWA – Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026 (Ken Wysocki, [email protected])
- Johnson County – Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 (Mike Clay, [email protected])
- Lafayette – Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 (Ed Hopkins, [email protected])
- Lake Monroe – Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 (Jim Hengeveld, [email protected])
- Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary – Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 (Pam Herrmann, [email protected] + Joanne Guttman, [email protected])
- McCormick’s Creek State Park – Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025 (Wyatt Williams, [email protected])
- Michaela Farm-Oldenburg – Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026 (Wayne Wauligman, [email protected])
- Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge – Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026 (Donna Stanley, [email protected])
- Oakland City – Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 (Heath Hamilton, [email protected])
- Ohio River – Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 (Jack Stenger, [email protected])
- Pike County – Friday, Dec. 26, 2025 (Jeremy Ross, [email protected])
- Pigeon River Fish and Wildlife Area – Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025 (Leland Shaum, [email protected])
- Pokagon – Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025 (Lance Lothamer, [email protected])
- Posey County – Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 (Jared Emmack, [email protected])
- Putnam County – Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 (Carl Huffman, [email protected])
- Richmond – Saturday, Jan. 3, 2025 (Jeremy Proeschel, [email protected])
- Southern Lake County – Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 (Matt Kalwasinski, [email protected])
- Southwest Allen County – Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025 (Cynthia Powers, [email protected])
- Spring Mill State Park – Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 (Amy Kearns, [email protected])
- Tippecanoe – Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025 (David Hicks, [email protected])
- Topeka – Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 (Leland Shaum, [email protected])
- Valparaiso – Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 (Ken Wysocki, [email protected])
- Warrick County – Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 (Jacob Scheller, [email protected])
- Western Gibson County – Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 (Evan Speck, [email protected])
- Whitewater State Park – Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 (Jeremy Proeschel, [email protected])
- Willow Slough-Iroquois Preserves – Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026 (Ed Hopkins, [email protected])
Count compilers can email [email protected] to add their CBC date.
Remember to check the National Audubon Society CBC Map for the most up to date count locations!
