The Christmas Bird Count for Kids (CBC4Kids) is a fun birdwatching event that engages youth and their families in real Citizen Science! The goal is to promote nature appreciation, ecological literacy, and environmental stewardship in the next generation of naturalists. CBC4Kids events can be hosted by anyone who enjoys connecting youth with the natural world. The event is easy to set up and can be done just about anywhere! Participants in this outdoor community event gain bird identification skills and learn the importance of Citizen Science monitoring for bird conservation. PLANNING PACKAGE Bird Studies Canada is happy to provide support as you plan your event. This CBC4Kids Planning Package will help you set up your own CBC4Kids event, and can be adapted to suit your event requirements. This resource includes: a welcome and introduction to the CBC4Kids; event basics and sample itinerary; instructions for creating your local bird checklist and submitting data to ebird Canada; and planning resources for setting up your Christmas Bird Count for Kids event. Along with this Planning Package, you can also refer to the Playbook developed by Sonoma Birding: www.sonomabirding.com/cbc4kids_playbook.html BIRD STUDIES CANADA Please share your CBC4Kids date, location, and contact information with Bird Studies Canada so that we can help promote your event to our members and friends! Email: education@birdscanada.org Phone: 519-586-3531 x128 Bird Studies Canada compiles a national CBC4Kids summary. Please send us a summary of your CBC4Kids event, with event date and location, number of participants, and bird count tallies. We also welcome any fun stories, highlights, and photos you can share. Thank you! THANK YOU FOR HOSTING A CBC4KIDS EVENT!
HISTORY OF THE CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT FOR KIDS The first Christmas Bird Count for Kids was established in 2007 in Sonoma Valley, California by Tom Rusert and Darren Peterie of Sonoma Birding (www.sonomabirding.com). The CBC4Kids was designed to engage a new cohort of young naturalists and birdwatchers. This successful annual event is now conducted across North America. Bird Studies Canada has been the proud Canadian partner in this exciting Citizen Science program since 2010. EVENT BASICS Like the traditional Christmas Bird Count (www.birdscanada.org/volunteer/cbc), the CBC4Kids gathers birdwatchers for a day of regional bird counts and provides valuable winter bird population data for bird conservation. The CBC4Kids also includes some instruction on Bird Identification, Binocular Basics, and Birdwatching Tips. The pre-count mini-workshops prepare young and new participants for an enjoyable birding experience. After the introduction and presentations, experienced birders lead small birding teams (4-6 youth participants and their parents) on birding excursions for 1-2 hours. Following the count, all teams gather to tally bird count data and share their groups highlights. The results are submitted to ebird Canada at www.ebird.ca. ORGANIZE YOUR EVENT IN SIX EASY STEPS! 1. Find a LOCATION 2. Choose a DATE and TIME 3. Recruit VOLUNTEERS to help lead bird hikes 4. ADVERTISE the event 5. HAVE FUN birdwatching! 6. SUBMIT your data to ebird Canada at www.ebird.ca EXAMPLE ITINERARY TIME ACTIVITY 8:30 AM Participants arrive and register (forms; photo permission; liability etc.) Birding teams make up a 'bird team name' for their group 8:45 AM Introduction to: CBC, CBC4Kids, and Citizen Science; organizations involved (organizing; host; BSC etc.); people; itinerary for day 9:00 AM Mini-Workshops: Bird Identification and common birds of CBC4Kids area; Birdwatching tips 9:15 AM Mini-Workshops: Binocular Basics (hand out binoculars); anatomy of binoculars; how to use (practice focusing on an object); how to find birds using binoculars 9:30 AM Bird count logistics (Logistics - teams; leaders; adults); Bird Count Checklists; Birding routes and carpooling; Prep - washroom break; outdoor gear 10 AM 12 PM Have Fun Birding! 12:00 PM Teams gather at event site after count; hot beverages, snack or lunch; teams tally numbers of species and individuals from their count Bird Count tally - Group Summaries (tallies; highlights of bird count; stories); 12:30 PM Master Bird Tally (tally number of each species from groups); Prizes! (team with most species, etc.; hat draw); Enter data at www.ebird.ca 1:00 Special activity (optional) Wrap-up and conclude event
CREATING YOUR BIRD CHECKLIST: 1. Visit ebird Canada to select list of species found in your area: www.ebird.org/ebird/canada/guideme?cmd=changelocation 2. Select your location by province and subregion. 3. Change DATE RANGE by clicking 'Change Date'; select Winter (Dec-Feb). 4. Highlight all species in left column. Copy and paste species to a spreadsheet. 5. Convert your ebird list to a kid-friendly print-out version for the event. You may want to simplify your list by taking out rarities for your area. EXAMPLE CHECKLIST
SUBMIT YOUR DATA TO ebird CANADA: ebird is a fun tool for keeping track of your sightings, and allows you to contribute your bird observations to a national database for scientific monitoring. 1. Once your bird checklists are tallied, go to www.ebird.ca 2. Log in with your ebird account OR make a new account specifically for your CBC4Kids (e.g., CBC4KLongPt). 3. Enter data for each count site separately (e.g., if you had three groups that each went to two sites, enter six checklists); or as one regional checklist. 4. Include CBC4Kids count name in the comments section (e.g., 2014 CBC4Kids NL). 5. Share your checklist with the other ebird participants in your CBC4Kids. 6. Share your checklist with the CBC4Kids National Database by entering the username 'CBC4KCanada' in the 'to' box when you share the checklist. Thank you for contributing your bird count data to Citizen Science! PLANNING RESOURCES Event Date Event Time LOGISTICS Event Location Volunteers Snack/Lunch Special Activity (post-count; optional) Vehicles Saturday or Sunday; December mid-january Suggested time between 8:30 am - 2:00 pm ex. Nature centre; community hall; school etc. FOR: Bird hike leaders; event day logistics FIND: Naturalist or birding clubs Bag lunch; potluck; catered hot lunch; Hot Chocolate; Tea; Coffee; Treats Guest speaker; special presentation; live birds of prey demonstration etc. Arrange drivers (bird leaders; parent volunteers) PROMOTION Bird Studies Canada Social Media CBC4Kids Flyer Local Internet Community 1. Events will be posted to the Google Map Event Listing 2. All CBC4Kids events registered with Bird Studies Canada by November 15 will be promoted in our national electronic newsletter Latest News in late November CBC4Kids Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/cbc4kids Follow along using: #CBC4Kids post around town (libraries; grocers; school etc) newspapers; radio; postings Organization or group website; online local event listing Scouts; Guides; Young Naturalist Clubs; 4H etc.
Binoculars SUPPLIES Participants bring along own binoculars; or borrow from nature centre Bird Field Guides Lunch/Snack (optional) Bird Count Participants bring along own field guides; borrow from nature centre; school; library provide coffee/hot chocolate post-count; cookies; snacks; donuts; soup; sandwiches Bird count checklist; clipboards; pencils Computer and Projector optional intro presentation; Bird ID workshop EVENT DAY Check-in Table Team Tables Display Table Prizes/Awards Registration; Name tags; binoculars; field guides Clipboards; Bird count list; Bird routes Organization info; BSC Citizen Science program info; bird store demos; sponsor promotion etc. Bird books; bird seed; feeders; field guides BIRD COUNT Bird Hike Teams Bird Checklist Bird Leaders Birding Routes 1-2 hours (weather, participant, and bird dependent!) 4-6 birders; parents; bird leader(s) See CREATING YOUR BIRD CHECKLIST from www.ebird.ca ideally 1-2 experienced birders guide each bird team on a different birding route Pre-determine diverse and safe birding areas for bird teams BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS Event Site Rental Registration Fee Food/Beverages Special Presentation Prizes Promotional material Many local organizations are willing to support youth education and birdwatching, and may donate to assist with any costs/supplies/food Nature Centres; Camps; Schools; Parks Free OR small donation to cover costs of event; non-perishable food item for local food bank Hot chocolate; coffee; treats etc. Guest speaker; birds of prey demo; activity books; field guides; bird feeder; BSC or self-organization membership printing
POST-EVENT Participant Follow-up Data Submission Report event data for CBC4Kids collaboration Thank you and event summary email to participants; invite to attend following year Submit data online at www.ebird.ca Share checklist with CBC4KCanada See SUBMIT YOUR DATA TO ebird CANADA Email event details, checklist, event highlights, and any photos you re able to share to Bird Studies Canada (THANK YOU!) EMAIL: education@birdscanada.org Happy CBC4Kids! BIRD STUDIES CANADA P.O. Box 160, Port Rowan, Ontario, N0E 1M0 WEB: www.birdscanada.org EMAIL: education@birdscanada.org PHONE: 519-586-3531 FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/birdscanada TWITTER: @BirdStudiesCan