This Oklahoma Park Wants You to Count Birds on December 27

Join the 126th Annual Audubon Census

Every winter, tens of thousands of Americans wake before dawn to count birds. Not for fun, though it is that.

For science. Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Oklahoma will host its annual Christmas Bird Count on Saturday, December 27, 2025.

The event welcomes bird enthusiasts of all experience levels to help track winter species across this small but bird-rich park in south-central Oklahoma.

The count is part of a tradition that started 125 years ago, when one man decided Christmas should be about watching birds instead of shooting them.

The Count Runs 8 a.m. to Noon

The event takes place from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Travertine Nature Center. Participants will join park staff for a morning of guided birding, with instructions provided on bird identification and counting methods.

Visitors should be prepared to spend most of the event outdoors and dress appropriately for winter weather conditions. Bring sturdy footwear, water, and binoculars if you have them.

No registration fee required.

This Is the 126th Annual Count

The 126th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count takes place December 14, 2025 through January 5, 2026. More than 2,800 count circles from Canada to Chile will gather important data to inform conservation strategies.

Each count occurs within a 15-mile-wide circle led by a local compiler who organizes volunteers and submits observations to the National Audubon Society.

Chickasaw’s December 27 date falls right in the middle of this three-week window.

Frank Chapman Stopped the Killing

In the 19th century, many North Americans participated in Christmas side hunts, competing to see how many birds they could kill.

In 1900, ornithologist Frank Chapman proposed a new holiday tradition: counting birds instead of hunting them.

Chapman worked at the American Museum of Natural History and founded Bird-Lore magazine, which later became Audubon magazine.

His simple idea transformed a day of destruction into one of the longest-running citizen science projects in history.

27 Birders Started Everything

On Christmas Day 1900, 27 observers took part in the first count at 25 places in the United States and Canada. The participants counted 18,500 birds representing 90 species.

Locations ranged from Toronto, Ontario to Pacific Grove, California, with most counts happening near population centers in the northeastern United States.

What began as a conservation experiment became an annual ritual that now spans the Western Hemisphere.

80,000 Volunteers Count Birds Today

The 125th Christmas Bird Count took place from December 14, 2024 to January 5, 2025 at 2,693 locations, with 83,186 volunteers across the Americas and Pacific Islands.

Altogether, volunteers observed 2,380 bird species.

The growth from 27 counters to over 80,000 makes this one of the most successful citizen science programs ever created. Anyone who can identify birds, or wants to learn, can participate.

The Data Drives Real Conservation

Data collected during the event contributes to a nationwide effort to monitor environmental effects on winter bird populations.

Over the years, Christmas Bird Count data have been used in more than 300 peer-reviewed articles.

A 2019 study in the journal Science used decades of this data to reveal a loss of nearly three billion North American birds since 1970.

The numbers volunteers tally each winter directly shape how scientists understand and protect bird populations.

Two Ecosystems Meet at Chickasaw

Although small in size, under 10,000 acres, Chickasaw National Recreation Area hosts a remarkable number of birds.

The east-west ecotone where hardwood forests meet grasslands, the overlap of north and south, and the proximity to the central flyway provide more types of birds than are found in some larger areas.

This ecological crossroads creates habitat diversity that larger parks with uniform landscapes cannot match.

Over 160 Species Call It Home

More than 160 species of birds have been recorded at Chickasaw National Recreation Area.

Species recorded in the largest numbers include northern cardinal, painted bunting, tufted titmouse, Carolina chickadee, American crow, and blue-gray gnatcatcher.

The park sits along central migratory flyways, so birds passing through often stop to rest and feed. Year-round residents share the park with seasonal visitors who arrive each winter from northern breeding grounds.

Winter Brings Bald Eagles and More

With winter’s brisk north winds come cedar waxwings, purple finches, pine siskins, bald eagles, and many species of waterfowl and hawks.

Bald eagles winter in all areas of the wildlife management area surrounding the park.

More than 20 species of sparrow winter in Oklahoma, joining the cardinals, titmice, and chickadees that stay year-round. December volunteers may spot any of these during the morning count.

Beginners Are Welcome Here

The Christmas Bird Count is open to bird enthusiasts and community members of all experience levels.

Volunteers will help count and identify winter species throughout the park during a morning of guided birding with park staff, which includes instructions on bird identification and counting methods. You do not need to know every species.

Park rangers pair newcomers with experienced birders who can help identify what you see and hear.

One Morning, 125 Years of Data

The Christmas Bird Count has survived two world wars, the Great Depression, and countless changes to American life.

It keeps going because ordinary people show up each winter to look at birds and write down what they see. It creates a long-term data set scientists use to see what’s going on with bird populations across the continent.

On December 27, Chickasaw National Recreation Area adds another morning to that 125-year record. Bring binoculars if you have them.

Bring curiosity if you do not.

Visiting Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Oklahoma

The Travertine Nature Center serves as the park’s main educational facility, and it is where the Christmas Bird Count begins. The center is open year-round from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. between Labor Day and Memorial Day.

The park is located in Sulphur, Oklahoma, about 90 miles south of Oklahoma City. There is no entrance fee.

Lake launching permits cost $4 daily or $30 annually, and campground fees range from $20 to $50 depending on the site. For more information, call the Travertine Nature Center at 580-622-7234.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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