Join COS for the 76th Annual Lisle-Arboretum Christmas Bird Count and Countdown Dinner! Every year on a wintery Sunday in December, birders sally forth to count birds and contribute their sightings to the oldest continuously running citizen science project in the world. Our count circle includes a wide variety of habitats from the forests of Palos to the pine plantations of the Morton Arboretum to the open grasslands of Green Valley.
The day of counting birds will be followed by a celebratory dinner and countdown!
WHEN: The Lisle-Arboretum Christmas Bird Count (CBC) takes place on Sunday, December 15, 2024.
WHAT: We will count all the birds, by species, that are in our "count circle" on the count day.
WHERE: The Lisle Arboretum Count Circle is the 15 mile diameter area centered on the intersection of Cass Avenue and 75th Street in Darien (Du Page County). For more information about what areas are in the count circle, and also a map of the circle, click here.
WHO: You! All are welcome to join our endeavor: veteran and novice alike. You don't have to be an expert on birds or the area. We will match up people who have never done a CBC before with participants who have.
HOW DO I SIGNUP? Send an email to the CBC Compiler with your name, telephone number and email address. Please RSVP by Sunday, December 8th.
COST: Participation in the count is free.
Countdown Dinner
Traditionally, all CBC participants are invited to gather at the end of our count day for drinks, dinner, camaraderie, and swapping tales of the day's birding. Dinner is followed by "the countdown" where we total up observations to see how we did progressing from the most common species to the rarer and rarer observations revealed at the end. Will new trends emerge? Will records be broken?
WHEN: Sunday, December 15 at 6pm, following the day-long CBC
WHAT: We add up everyone’s birds and see how we all did in a suspense filled countdown more exciting than a NYE ball drop!
WHERE: Imperial Oak Brewing in Brookfield. See the Google Maps link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/nY3CkPQW9uJDY6ff7
WHO: You! All are welcome to join the celebration, even if you didn’t participate (we won’t tell).
HOW DO I RSVP? Send an email to the dinner organizer with your name and email address. Please RSVP by Friday, December 8th at cbc@chicagobirder.org
COST: Dinner is free. Drinks both alcoholic and non are available for purchase at the bar.