Christmas Bird Counts

The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) has been conducted for well over 100 years. The National Audubon Society collects data from this massive community science effort to count and record bird numbers every December. *Visit Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count Trends Viewer to explore population trends over time.*

Gila River Christmas Bird Count

Gila River Christmas Bird Count Reports

  • The Gila River Christmas Bird Count was conducted on Saturday, December 27th, in what was predicted to be good weather most of the previous week. By Thursday it was looking rather doubtful, but it's New Mexico and if it rained it would probably be showers, right? But the day of the count it was a steady rain. Despite the lousy weather conditions, 25 hardy souls showed up to count birds, most getting quite wet in the process. Fortunately, the rain stopped by 1:00, giving everyone a chance to dry out.

    You would think the rain would severely decrease the bird count, at least I did. But in comparing total numbers from previous years that wasn’t the case. In fact, there were approximately 500 more birds counted on this survey than in 2023, when we had gorgeous weather. This survey produced a total of 4420 birds in 94 species. The number of species has varied between 105 and 93 in the past 6 years. We also had a high count of what are considered rare species for our area in December. These were: Hammond;s Flycatcher, Pacific Wren, Lawrence’s Goldfinch, Common Yellowthroat, and 2 sightings of Barn Owls.

    The CBC surveys are a community science effort that has been conducted for 126 years. An example of why these long term trends are vitally important can be seen by looking at our CBC numbers for Wild Turkeys. In December only 3 were counted, but in 2024 the total was 116. There are many factors affecting bird counts and they can vary widely from year to year.

    Read the full report on this page.

    • Linda Moore, compiler

Photo: H. Erstad

Silver City Christmas Bird Count

Silver City Christmas Bird Count Reports

  • Our individual bird numbers were again lower than average (-12%). However, we did have above average species numbers. Although it maybe felt like a sluggish CBC count with low activity, it was surprisingly better than 2024 (+10%) and the weather was strange but wonderful for birding..

    Graphs and bird list totals can be found on

    www.birdallianceswnm.org/community-science

    Total species count: 89 (79 avg)
    Total individuals counted: 4586 (5190 avg)

    Total route participants: 27 Total feeder participants: 11

    People hours spent at feeders: 25.7

    Individuals for Last Two Years:

    • 2024: 4119

    • 2025: 4586

    Thanks to all who participated. Read the full report on this page.

Photo: E. Pollom

Winter Raptor Survey

The survey is done in conjunction with the Hawk Migration Association of North America, and is a community science project focused on better understanding of the wintering population of raptors in North America. This survey is done by vehicle, and some of the routes are well over 100 miles. Typically the routes have established leaders and helpers, but there are often empty spaces in a vehicle for others to participate. The routes are surveyed on one of the three days, providing the opportunity to choose the best day weather-wise. Each route is standardized with no variation allowed.

Contact Linda Moore at raptors.linda@yahoo.com by if you are interested in participating.

Winter Raptor Count Reports

  • In January, teams of raptor enthusiasts surveyed 8 pre- determined routes for wintering raptors. A total of 9 species were seen, with 185 birds counted. Collectively, these volunteers drove well over 900 miles, and that was only after they had arrived at the beginning of their often distant route. As usual, some routes produced a good number of birds seen, while others had few birds observed. The numbers seem to vary depending on the amount of rainfall and subsequent abundance or lack of vegetation growth. Riparian areas and active agricultural fields with irrigation appear to be a draw for raptors during our ongoing drought.

    Red-tailed Hawks were again the most numerous, with 105 counted. Second place went to American Kestrels with 37 seen. This continues a downward trend for these beautiful falcons, from a high of 81 in 2023 to numbering in the 40s in 2024 and 2025. This is unfortunately a nationwide trend, which is why doing these surveys is so important. These small falcons were once the most numerous raptor in North America, and their numbers have declined significantly since the 1970s to where they are now considered a species of special concern. Habitat loss, pesticide use reducing prey, lack of nesting cavities, and increased predation are all factors contributing to the decline. Our raptor numbers will be reported to the Hawk Migration Association where they will be compiled with other surveys from all over North America to develop trends like those of the kestrel.

    A heartfelt thank you to all who participated in this year’s survey! Read the full report on this page.

    • Linda Moore compiler