Dec 6, 2025 · At the time, many communities marked the holidays with a “Side Hunt”—a competition to shoot as many birds and mammals as possible. Frank Chapman, an early ornithologist, offered a …

Frank Chapman and 26 other conservationists initiated the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) as a way of promoting conservation by counting, rather than hunting, birds on Christmas Day of 1900.

The Christmas Bird Count is the longest-running community science initiative in the world. For more than a century, birdwatchers have been coming together during the Christmas-to-New-Year’s holiday …

4 days ago · The hunters would gather and split into two sides and go out into the field with rifles and shotguns. The side that had the most feathered and furred animals won. As the 20th century neared, …

Dec 7, 2023 · One major concern fueling the movement was the drastic bird population decline. In response, an Ornithologist, Frank Chapman, started the bird count as an alternative to a holiday …

Mar 5, 2024 · Conservationist Frank M. Chapman proposed counting birds instead of hunting them, leading to the first Christmas Bird Count organized by 27 volunteers in 25 locations across North …

The twist: counting birds instead of hunting birds for sport, which was a widespread Christmas tradition at the time. On Christmas day, Frank and 26 other birdwatchers counted birds and tallied species. …

Dec 5, 2024 · Instead of hunting birds, Chapman proposed a new tradition—one that celebrated the birds rather than threatened them. Thus, the Christmas Bird Count was born. This event was …

Dec 20, 2024 · This new, more respectful tradition was to count birds during the holidays, instead of hunting them. Across the nation, the first 25 CBC’s were held, spanning coast to coast and even …

Dec 9, 2024 · This practice alarmed conservationists like ornithologist Frank M. Chapman, who recognized the toll it took on declining bird populations. On Christmas Day in 1900, Chapman …