Bird Counts
Winnebago Audubon is involved with a variety of bird counts that take place annually. Below you will learn more about each of them.
Citizen-scientists are volunteers, like you, who love birds and the outdoors. Collecting vital information about our birds contributes to the database that provides guidance in establishing the best ways to keep our birds and the environment healthy. You make a difference AND have fun while doing what you lover to do: bird watch!
Project Feeder Watch
Have fun and contribute to science!
Participate in Project FeederWatch Nov. 1 – April 30
Whether you're new to the hobby or have been watching birds for decades, Project FeederWatch will keep you going through the winter months. It turns your love of feeding birds into scientific discoveries. FeederWatch is a November-April survey of birds that visit backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. You don’t even need a feeder! All you need is an area with plantings, habitat, water or food that attracts birds. The schedule is completely flexible. Count your birds for as long as you like on days of your choosing, then enter your counts online. Your counts allow you to track what is happening to birds around your home and contribute to a continental data-set of bird distribution and abundance.
The annual participation fee is $18 for U.S. residents ($15 for Cornell Lab members). Without the support of our participants, this project wouldn’t be possible.
FeederWatch is conducted by people of all skill levels and backgrounds, including children, families, individuals, classrooms, retired persons, youth groups, nature centers, and bird clubs.
When thousands of FeederWatchers in communities across North America count birds and send their tallies to the FeederWatch database, the result is a treasure trove of numbers, which FeederWatch scientists analyze to draw a picture of winter bird abundance and distribution.
FeederWatch data show which bird species visit feeders at thousands of locations across the continent every winter. The data also indicate how many individuals of each species are seen. This information can be used to measure changes in the winter ranges and abundances of bird species over time.
With each season, FeederWatch increases in importance as a unique monitoring tool for more than 100 bird species that winter in North America.
What sets FeederWatch apart from other monitoring programs is the detailed picture that FeederWatch data provide about weekly changes in bird distribution and abundance. Importantly, FeederWatch data tell us where birds are as well as where they are not. This crucial information enables scientists to piece together the most accurate population maps.
Go online to learn more and sign up participate at: https://feederwatch.org/. Enjoy winter bird watching from the comfort of your home.
Great Backyard Bird Count
FEBRUARY 16-19, 2024
Connect to Birds, to Nature, and with Each Other
Birds are everywhere, all the time, doing fascinating things. Join in the count, when the world comes together for the love of birds.
Watch birds in your backyard or anywhere else, be part of this 20+ year tradition, and help provide scientists with a snapshot of bird populations. Participate from anywhere in the world. Click to learn more about the GBBC.
Spend time in your favorite places watching birds - then tell us about them! In as little as 15 minutes notice the birds around you. Identify them, count them, and submit them to help scientists better understand and protect birds around the world at https://www.birdcount.org/about/
The Great Backyard Bird Count is an inter-organizational effort between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada.
Midwest Crane Count
APRIL 13, 2024
Winnebago Audubon is looking for counters to cover the 45 designated sites in Winnebago County for the 48th Annual Midwest Crane Count. More than 1,800 volunteer participants from throughout Wisconsin and portions of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and Minnesota participate in the spring survey, which gathers information on the abundance and distribution of cranes in the upper Midwest.
The International Crane Foundation sponsors the Count as part of its mission to conserve the world’s 15 species of cranes and the natural communities on which they depend. Sandhill cranes once nearly disappeared from Wisconsin, but the species has successfully recovered and is slowly expanding into neighboring states.
Observations of sandhill cranes can lend insight into threatened crane species, including the endangered whooping crane. There are now approximately 75 whooping cranes in the reintroduced population in central Wisconsin, and crane counters may have a chance of sighting a whooper during the survey, just like last year!
Best reasons to be a crane counter:
1. Doing something a little crazy is fun.
2. You can do something good for the environment once a year without becoming a bird-nut.
3. If you are a student, it counts as volunteer hours.
4. You’ll learn to speak crane-ese.
5. It’s a good excuse to watch a sunrise once per year.
6. Bring your binoculars and camera. You’ll be surprised by what other wildlife you see that early in the morning.
7. If the weather is nasty, you can count from inside the car with the heater on.
8. Winnebago County is a great place to survey because we rank high in the number of crane sightings.
9. When finished you still have the whole day ahead of you.
Signing up is easy! Go to the International Crane Foundation website: savingcranes.org where you will find the site maps for Winnebago County. Select a site that you would like to survey, then contact our Winnebago County Coordinator, Evelyn Meuret, to check availability and secure your site. You may contact Evelyn for assistance. She will save sites for folks who counted in 2023 until the end of March. If you are not able to count this year, please let her know that your site is available.
You will also find the data sheet and more information at the savingcranes.org website.
We are hosting an in-person meeting before the crane count on Thursday, April 4 from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm at the Oshkosh Food Co-op, 155 Jackson St., Suite 1. You may choose a site that night, meet other counters, and ask questions. We will review crane call identification and data entry. This meeting is optional but you may find it helpful if you are a new counter. Please share with friends and family who might be interested in volunteering.
We invite all counters to meet for breakfast after the count to share your experience at the Delta Restaurant, 515 N. Sawyer St., Oshkosh. Dutch treat.
Please contact Evelyn directly about your interest in participating in this year’s Annual Midwest Crane Count: evelynmeuret57@att.net or 920-573-7828.
The Big Sit
MAY 4, 2024
6:00 am - 11:00 am at Oshkosh Bird Fest
A unique way to bird watch! Often called a "tailgate party" for birders.
Bring your binoculars if you have them. Spotting scopes will be set up. Bring a chair and sit awhile. Participate at any time for as long as you like. Beginners to experts are welcome. Watch, listen, learn about birds with Anita Carpenter.
To learn more about Oshkosh Bird Fest CLICK HERE.
May Bird Count
MAY 11, 2024
This is another great excuse (if you need one) to go birding and challenge yourself to identify birds not only visually but by their songs. Plus, you are contributing to on-going bird research around the world. You can do this by yourself or with family and friends. Make a day of it or plan a little time around your busy schedule.
On the annual May bird count, observers record all birds seen or heard in Winnebago County on one day (24 hour period). The Winnebago County May bird count has been conducted every year since 1966. The final results are submitted to the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology.
Anyone can participate in the bird count. The amount of time that you wish to commit is up to you. You can watch your feeders/yard for an hour or all day. You can walk, bike, or boat a certain area. For the more dedicated birder, surveying one of the 30 county areas is also an option.
WHAT IS REQUIRED?
-Record the number of each species seen or heard (including Starlings, House Sparrows, etc.)
-Record time spent watching (yard, walking, car, etc.)
-Record distance traveled (walking, car, etc.)
-Record names of all observers
-Document unusual species and numbers
If you do plan on participating PLEASE contact Tom Ziebell and inform him of the location that you intend to cover. This is to reduce duplication of birds counted.
For more information on the count or if interested in surveying an area in the county, contact Tom Ziebell at thomasjziebell@gmail.com or 920-312-1976.
Click here for 2021 May Bird Count Results.
Click here for 2022 May Bird Count Results.
Click here for 2023 May Bird Count Results.
September Bird Count
SEPTEMBER 2024 - Date TBD
This is another great excuse (if you need one) to go birding and challenge yourself to identify birds not only visually but by their songs. Plus, you are contributing to on-going bird research around the world. You can do this by yourself or with family and friends. Make a day of it or plan a little time around your busy schedule.
On the annual September bird count, observers record all birds seen or heard in Winnebago County on one day (24 hour period). The Winnebago County September bird count has been conducted every year since 1995.
Anyone can participate in the bird count. The amount of time that you wish to commit is up to you. You can watch your feeders/yard for an hour or all day. You can walk, bike, or boat a certain area. For the more dedicated birder, surveying one of the 30 county areas is also an option.
WHAT IS REQUIRED?
-Record the number of each species seen or heard (including Starlings, House Sparrows, etc.)
-Record time spent watching (yard, walking, car, etc.)
-Record distance traveled (walking, car, etc.)
-Record names of all observers
-Document unusual species and numbers
If you do plan on participating PLEASE contact Tom Ziebell and inform him of the location that you intend to cover. This is to reduce duplication of birds counted.
For more information on the counts or if interested in surveying an area in the county, contact Tom Ziebell at thomasjziebell@gmail.com or 920-312-1976.
Click here for 2020 September Bird Count Results.
Click here for 2021 September Bird Count Results.
Click here for 2022 September Bird Count Results.
Click here for 2023 September Bird Count Results.
Christmas Bird Count
DECEMBER 2024 - Date TBD
On the annual Oshkosh Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC), observers record all birds seen or heard within a fifteen mile diameter circle around Oshkosh on one day (24 hour period) in mid- to late-December. In addition to the count day, species seen during the count week (3 days before and 3 days after the count day) but not recorded on the count day are also included in the results. The Oshkosh Christmas Bird Count has been conducted every year since 1964. The final results are submitted to the National Audubon Society.
Anyone can participate in the bird count. The amount of time that you wish to commit is up to you. You can watch your feeders/yard for an hour or all day. For the more dedicated birder, surveying one of the 7 county areas in the count circle is also an option.
WHAT IS REQUIRED?
-Record the number of each species seen or heard (including Starlings, House Sparrows, etc.)
-Record time spent watching (yard, walking, car, etc.)
-Record distance traveled (walking, car, etc.)
-Record names of all observers
-Document unusual species and numbers
If you do plan on participating PLEASE contact Tom Ziebell and inform him of the location that you intend to cover. This is to make sure the location is in the count area and to reduce duplication of birds counted.
For more information on the count or if interested in surveying an area in the count circle, contact Tom Ziebell at thomasjziebell@gmail.com or 920-312-1976.
Click here for 2020 Christmas Bird Count Results.
Click here for 2021 Christmas Bird Count Results.
Click here for 2022 Christmas Bird Count Results.
Click here for 2023 Christmas Bird Count Results.