Join fellow birders as they scour the marshes, dunes, industrial parks, rivers, and beaches of Southeast Chicago and Northwest Indiana for the annual Calumet-Sand Ridge CBC, sponsored by Sand Ridge Audubon. Centered in Calumet City, this count circle show cases some of the finest habitats on either side of the IL/IN border.

The day of counting birds will be followed by a dinner and celebration.

WHEN: The Calumet-Sand Ridge Christmas Bird Count (CBC) takes place on Saturday, December 18, 2021.

WHAT: We will count all the birds, by species, that are in our "count circle" on the count day.

WHERE: The Calumet-Sand Ridge Count Circle is the 15 mile diameter area centered on Sand Ridge Nature Center in southeast Cook County.

WHO: You! All are welcome to join our endeavor: veteran and novice alike. If you have a pair of binoculars and are excited to see and count birds, you’re in the right place. You don't have to be an expert. We will match up people who have never done a CBC before with participants who have.

HOW DO I SIGNUP? Send an email to CBC Compiler John Elliot, with your name, telephone number and email address. Please RSVP by Saturday, December 11th.

COST: Participation in the count is free.

POST-COUNT DINNER: Sand Ridge Audubon Society sponsors a post CBC dinner. There is a small fee to cover the cost of catering. For details and to register, call Karen Slager: 219-838-8468

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Every year on a wintery day in late December or early January, birders across the country sally forth to count birds and contribute their sightings to the oldest continuously running citizen science project in the world. Now in its 122nd year, the Christmas Bird Count is a time honored tradition which is well represented by more than a dozen such counts in the Chicagoland area. To learn more, visit: www.ChristmasBirdCount.org