From December 14 through January 5 tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas take part in an adventure
that has become a family tradition among generations. Families and students, birders and scientists, armed
with binoculars, bird guides and checklists go out on an annual mission - often before dawn. For over one hundred years,
the desire to both make a difference and to experience the beauty of nature has driven dedicated people
to leave the comfort of a warm house during the Holiday season.

Each of the citizen scientists who annually braves snow, wind, or rain, to take part in the Christmas Bird Count
makes an enormous contribution to conservation. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this longest-running
wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations - and to help guide conservation action.

From feeder-watchers and field observers to count compilers and regional editors, everyone who takes part in the
Christmas Bird Count does it for love of birds and the excitement of friendly competition -- and with the knowledge
that their efforts are making a difference for science and bird conservation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUDUBON SOCIETY CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT, PLEASE VISIT
http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count