PLANNING PACKAGE
Bird Studies Canada is happy to provide support as you plan your event. This CBC4Kids Planning Package will help you set up your own CBC4Kids event, and can be adapted to suit your event requirements. This resource includes: a welcome and introduction to the CBC4Kids; event basics and sample itinerary; instructions for creating your local bird checklist and submitting data to eBird Canada; and planning resources for setting up your Christmas Bird Count for Kids event.
Along with this Planning Package, you can also refer to the Playbook developed by Sonoma Birding:
www.sonomabirding.com/cbc4kids_playbook.html BIRD STUDIES CANADA
Please share your CBC4Kids date, location, and contact information with Bird Studies Canada so that we can help promote your event to our members and friends!
Email: education@birdscanada.org Phone: 519-586-3531 x128
Bird Studies Canada compiles a national CBC4Kids summary. Please send us a summary of your CBC4Kids event, with event date and location, number of participants, and bird count tallies. We also welcome any fun stories, highlights, and photos you can share. Thank you!
THANK YOU FOR HOSTING A CBC4KIDS EVENT!
The Christmas Bird Count for Kids (CBC4Kids) is a fun birdwatching event that engages youth and their families in real Citizen Science! The goal is to promote nature appreciation, ecological literacy, and environmental stewardship in the next generation of naturalists. CBC4Kids events can be hosted by anyone who enjoys connecting youth with the natural world. The event is easy to set up and can be done just about anywhere! Participants in this outdoor community event gain bird identification skills and learn the importance of Citizen Science monitoring for bird conservation.
EXAMPLE ITINERARY
TIME ACTIVITY
8:30 AM Participants arrive and register (forms; photo permission; liability etc.) Birding teams make up a 'bird team name' for their group
8:45 AM Introduction to: CBC, CBC4Kids, and Citizen Science; organizations involved (organizing; host; BSC etc.); people; itinerary for day 9:00 AM Mini-Workshops: Bird Identification and common birds of CBC4Kids area; Birdwatching tips 9:15 AM Mini-Workshops: Binocular Basics (hand out binoculars); anatomy of binoculars;
how to use (practice focusing on an object); how to find birds using binoculars 9:30 AM Bird count logistics (Logistics - teams; leaders; adults); Bird Count Checklists; Birding routes and carpooling; Prep - washroom break; outdoor gear 10 AM – 12 PM Have Fun Birding!
12:00 PM Teams gather at event site after count; hot beverages, snack or lunch; teams tally numbers of species and individuals from their count
12:30 PM Bird Count tally - Group Summaries (tallies; highlights of bird count; stories); Master Bird Tally (tally number of each species from groups); Prizes! (team with most species, etc.; hat draw); Enter data at www.ebird.ca
1:00 Special activity (optional) Wrap-up and conclude event HISTORY OF THE CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT FOR KIDS
The first Christmas Bird Count for Kids was established in 2007 in Sonoma Valley, California by Tom Rusert and Darren Peterie of Sonoma Birding (www.sonomabirding.com). The CBC4Kids was designed to engage a new cohort of young naturalists and birdwatchers. This successful annual event is now conducted across North America. Bird Studies Canada has been the proud
Canadian partner in this exciting Citizen Science program since 2010. EVENT BASICS
Like the traditional Christmas Bird Count (www.birdscanada.org/volunteer/cbc), the CBC4Kids gathers birdwatchers for a day of regional bird counts and provides valuable winter bird population data for bird conservation. The CBC4Kids also includes some instruction on Bird Identification, Binocular Basics, and Birdwatching Tips. The pre-count mini-workshops prepare young and new participants for an enjoyable birding experience. After the introduction and presentations, experienced birders lead small birding teams (4-6 youth participants and their parents) on birding excursions for 1-2 hours. Following the count, all teams gather to tally bird count data and share their groups’ highlights. The results are submitted to eBird Canada at www.ebird.ca.
ORGANIZE YOUR EVENT IN SIX EASY STEPS! 1. Find a LOCATION
2. Choose a DATE and TIME
3. Recruit VOLUNTEERS to help lead bird hikes 4. ADVERTISE the event
5. HAVE FUN birdwatching!
EXAMPLE CHECKLIST
CREATING YOUR BIRD CHECKLIST:
1. Visit eBird Canada to select list of species found in your area:
www.ebird.org/ebird/canada/GuideMe?cmd=changeLocation
2. Select your location by province and subregion.
3. Change DATE RANGE by clicking 'Change Date'; select Winter (Dec-Feb).
4. Highlight all species in left column. Copy and paste species to a spreadsheet.
5. Convert your eBird list to a kid-friendly print-out version for the event.
PLANNING RESOURCES
LOGISTICS SUGGESTION OR IDEAS
Event Date Saturday or Sunday; December – mid-January Event Time Suggested time between 8:30 am - 2:00 pm Event Location ex. Nature centre; community hall; school etc. Volunteers FOR: Bird hike leaders; event day logistics FIND: Naturalist or birding clubs
Snack/Lunch Bag lunch; potluck; catered hot lunch; Hot Chocolate; Tea; Coffee; Treats Special Activity
(post-count; optional)
Guest speaker; special presentation; live birds of prey demonstration etc.
Vehicles Arrange drivers (bird leaders; parent volunteers)
PROMOTION SUGGESTION OR IDEAS
Bird Studies Canada
1. Events will be posted to the Google Map Event Listing 2. All CBC4Kids events registered with Bird Studies Canada by
November 15 will be promoted in our national electronic newsletter Latest News in late November
Social Media CBC4Kids Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/CBC4Kids Follow along using: #CBC4Kids CBC4Kids Flyer post around town (libraries; grocers; school etc)
Local newspapers; radio; postings
Internet Organization or group website; online local event listing Community Scouts; Guides; Young Naturalist Clubs; 4H etc.
SUBMIT YOUR DATA TO eBIRD CANADA:
eBird is a fun tool for keeping track of your sightings, and allows you to contribute your
bird observations to a national database for scientific monitoring.
1. Once your bird checklists are tallied, go to www.ebird.ca
2. Log in with your eBird account OR make a new account specifically for your
CBC4Kids (e.g., CBC4KLongPt).
3. Enter data for each count site separately (e.g., if you had three groups that each
went to two sites, enter six checklists); or as one regional checklist.
4. Include CBC4Kids count name in the comments section (e.g., 2014 CBC4Kids NL).
5. Share your checklist with the other eBird participants in your CBC4Kids.
6. Share your checklist with the CBC4Kids National Database by entering the username
'CBC4KCanada' in the 'to' box when you share the checklist.
SUPPLIES SUGGESTION OR IDEAS
Binoculars Participants bring along own binoculars; or borrow from nature centre
Bird Field Guides Participants bring along own field guides; borrow from nature centre; school; library
Lunch/Snack (optional) provide coffee/hot chocolate post-count; cookies; snacks; donuts; soup; sandwiches
Bird Count Bird count checklist; clipboards; pencils Computer and Projector optional intro presentation; Bird ID workshop
EVENT DAY SUGGESTION OR IDEAS
Check-in Table Registration; Name tags; binoculars; field guides Team Tables Clipboards; Bird count list; Bird routes
Display Table Organization info; BSC Citizen Science program info; bird store demos; sponsor promotion etc. Prizes/Awards Bird books; bird seed; feeders; field guides
BIRD COUNT SUGGESTION OR IDEAS
Bird Hike 1-2 hours (weather, participant, and bird dependent!) Teams 4-6 birders; parents; bird leader(s)
Bird Checklist See ‘CREATING YOUR BIRD CHECKLIST’ from www.ebird.ca
Bird Leaders ideally 1-2 experienced birders guide each bird team on a different birding route
Birding Routes Pre-determine diverse and safe birding areas for bird teams
BUDGET
CONSIDERATIONS Many local organizations are willing to support youth education and birdwatching, and may donate to assist with any costs/supplies/food Event Site Rental Nature Centres; Camps; Schools; Parks
Registration Fee Free OR small donation to cover costs of event; non-perishable food item for local food bank
Food/Beverages Hot chocolate; coffee; treats etc.
Special Presentation Guest speaker; birds of prey demo; activity
Prizes books; field guides; bird feeder; BSC or self-organization membership Promotional material printing
POST-EVENT SUGGESTION OR IDEAS
Participant Follow-up Thank you and event summary email to participants; invite to attend following year
Data Submission Submit data online at www.ebird.ca Share checklist with CBC4KCanada
See ‘SUBMIT YOUR DATA TO eBIRD CANADA’
Report event data for CBC4Kids collaboration
Email event details, checklist, event highlights, and any photos you’re able to share to Bird Studies Canada (THANK YOU!)
EMAIL: education@birdscanada.org
