Christmas Bird Count
The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is the largest and longest running community science project in the world! The data is open to all and provides information for research, planning and conservation. Whidbey Island has two circles each with a diameter of 15 miles. Volunteers are placed in teams, meet in the morning typically 8 a.m. and bird until 4 p.m. (daylight hours). There is also special data collection for nocturnal birding. Each team identifies and counts every bird that they see or hear within their zone.
Volunteers Needed to Make the 2026 WAS CBC a Success
2026 Christmas Bird Count
North Whidbey
The WAOH 2026 Christmas Bird Count is set for Saturday, December 19. In case of snow or really bad weather, the count will be January 2, 2027. Our 15-mile diameter count circle is centered on State Route 20 and Monroe Landing Road. The circle is divided into 14 sections, each with its own team and leader.
Several of our previous team leaders are unable to participate this year, so we hope you will consider joining our count. Contact me, Steve Ellis, for more information by selecting the button above. You can also call me: 360-678-2264.
Additionally, we’re looking for people willing to count birds at their home feeders. If you live within the circle and can identify birds, give the count a try. Contact Steve and he will pass those instructions along to you.
Last year our north-end CBC teams found 109 species and counted a total of 16,594 individual birds. Among them were a couple of rarities: Mountain Bluebird and White-throated Sparrow. Come see what shows up this year!
2026 Christmas Bird Count
South Whidbey
The WASW 2026 Christmas Bird Count South is set for Wednesday, December 30, 2026. We have picked an alternate day, Monday, January 4, 2027, in case weather on primary day is icy or windy. Click the button above to reach the chair Govinda Holtby with questions and if you can help with the following:
Were you a team leader in the past and would like to be so again?
Would you like to lead a team? We can arrange that.
Were you a field participant and would like to be so again? Contact your team leader from last year.
Are you a first timer wanting to join the Christmas Bird Count? Govinda will find a team for you. This will be on a first-come basis; the sooner you sign up the more likely you will be assigned to a team. Deadline is Monday, December 14, 2026.
Our 2026 Wish List:
Team Leaders! We have sections that are open for team leaders.
Feeder watchers! Count birds from the comfort of your living room! Feeder watcher instructions are here.
And finally — would you like to contribute some food? Chips, cookies, a mean banana bread? To the post tabulation at the Trinity Lutheran Church. We have the space from 3 to 6:30 p.m.
Christmas Bird Count 2024 results:
North Whidbey Circle: 15 December: 105 species were identified, and 12,417 birds were counted. Due to weather, not as many volunteers were available so fewer birds were counted.
South Whidbey Circle: 28 December: 109 species were identified, and 13,377 birds were counted.
Chistmas Bird Count 2025 CBC results:
North Whidbey Circle: 20 December: 109 species and counted a total of 16,594 individual birds. There were 20 field counters and one feeder counter.
South Whidbey Circle: 109 species and counted a total of individual birds. There were 33 field counters and 8 feeder counters.
2026 CBC results will be available on the Audubon CBC data site which is being revised at this time.
For North Whidbey enter “WAOH” in the “Count Code” box.
For South Whidbey enter “WASW” in the “Count Code” box.
More Christmas Bird Count Background
The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a 100-plus year old community-science program of the National Audubon Society. From December 14 through early January, thousands of volunteers across the U.S., Canada and many other countries in the Western Hemisphere go out over a 24-hour period on one calendar day to count every bird of every species seen and/or heard within an established 15 mile diameter circle divided into individual survey territories. This information is then compiled and sent to National Audubon.
The data collected by observers over the past century allow Audubon researchers, conservation biologists, wildlife agencies and other interested individuals to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America. When combined with other surveys such as the Breeding Bird Survey, the data provide a picture of how the continent’s bird populations have changed in time and space over the past hundred years. — www.audubon.org
Whidbey Island has two distinct survey areas: the North Whidbey (Oak Harbor) Circle and the South Whidbey Circle.
Contacts:
North Whidbey (Oak Harbor) Circle: CBC North
South Whidbey Circle: CBC South
Why is the Christmas Bird Count Important?
Whidbey Island is home to a wide variety of bird species. It also lies on the Pacific Flyway for migratory birds. The resulting diversity, as documented in part by the annual Christmas Bird Count, helps to inform the important choices we make on Island County to ensure that habitat is maintained for resident and migratory species, all year round.
Christmas Bird Count Data
For Whidbey Island the North count goes back to 1987. The South count started in 2011. The National Audubon Society compiles all the CBC data into accessible file formats at http://netapp.audubon.org/CBCObservation/Historical/ResultsByCount.aspx#.
Once you are on the Audubon CBC data site, use the following Count Codes to navigate to our data:
North Whidbey (Oak Harbor) Count Code: WAOH
South Whidbey Count Code: WASW
Please also visit the National Audubon website for more information about the CBC.
https://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count
North Whidbey Christmas Bird Count Circle - General Description
The epicenter for the North Circle is the intersection of State Route 20 and Monroe Landing Road. The North Circle includes the city of Oak Harbor and the town of Coupeville. There are two Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in the North Circle: Penn Cove and Crockett Lake. IBA is a status that not only recognizes an area’s importance to birds, but helps justify protections when encroachment or other development actions threaten a habitat. The North Circle also includes three military installations: Naval Air Station Whidbey Island’s Ault Field, Sea Plane Base, and Outlying Landing Field Coupeville.
South Whidbey Christmas Bird Count Circle - General Description
The Washington South Whidbey CBC (WASW) was initiated as a designated CBC circle in 2011 by Govinda Holtby. The epicenter is in the middle of Goss Lake. Christmas Bird Count circles have historically been 15 miles in diameter. When we registered the South Whidbey Circle, we realized that we were squeezed between other neighboring CBC circles. However, National Audubon recognized that the value of a South Whidbey circle was greater than maintaining completely discrete 15 mile diameter circles. So the tip of Camano island, as seen in the photo at right, continues to be counted as part of the earlier established Everett circle.
The WASW circle includes over 40 miles of shoreline, four towns, and four lakes: Goss Lake, Lone Lake, Deer Lake, and Miller Lake. One lagoon, Deer Lagoon, is also in the circle and has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA). A handful of marshes are located in the Maxwelton Watershed as well as one or two creeks. Public wooded trails and fields are also in the circle (Trillium Woods - 654 acres; Community Park - 80 acres; Saratoga Woods - 80 acres; Trust Land Trails - 200 acres).
