2023/24 Christmas Bird Count

VLT Conservation Director, Laura Pavliscak, during the annual Christmas Bird Count in Big Rock Preserve

Every winter from December 14th to January 5th, avian lovers gather around the country to document bird species and abundance in their backyards, cities, and regional wildlands. This Christmas Bird Count (CBC) survey was started in 1900 by the early founders of the Audubon Society, the leading non-profit in international avian conservation. The data collected through these surveys is publicly available and used by researchers, natural resource agencies, and land managers to evaluate changes in avian populations over time with direct implications in informing conservation practices and habitat preservation. 

Our own local chapter, Ventura Audubon, organized the Ventura CBC on January 5th with over 192 contributing birders and 103 species observed. With support from Ventura Audubon, Ventura Land Trust coordinated surveys with 25 birders on four of our properties: Harmon Canyon, Mariano Rancho, Big Rock, and Hayden preserves. Sixty species were observed on our preserves (almost 60% of the regional total!), including sharp-shinned hawk, merlin, common yellowthroat, 5 species of woodpeckers, loggerhead shrike, and belted kingfisher. 

For more information about Ventura's CBC, including its 43 year history, the regions that are surveyed, and access to local datasets, check out the Ventura Audubon's excellent CBC website: https://www.venturaaudubon.org/cbc. Be in touch with us at volunteer@venturalandtrust.org if you'd like to participate in surveying VLT preserves in the 2024/25 CBC!