The 123rd annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count will take place over the next several weeks. The CBC is made up of hundreds of individual counts where each count area is a circular area 15 miles in diameter. Knoxville and the surrounding counties have 5 different Christmas Bird Counts.
We hope that everyone will participate in at least one of these counts. You can either go out and do a walk in the designated count area or you can count birds from your home if you happen to live in one of the count areas. Click here to see the actual areas for these five counts.
There are numerous small groups of folks going out on walks during these counts. If you are not signed up and would like to participate, please contact the appropriate count leader below.
December 17 – East Knox CBC
This area is centered in East Knoxville and includes Seven Islands State Birding Park all the way back to Ijams Nature Center. Many people will be birding Seven Islands, and it is likely they will be split up into multiple groups. To participate, contact Clare Datilo at clare.dattilo@tn.gov or 865-407-8335.
December 17 – Norris CBC
This area is centered in the town of Norris and includes Norris Dam state park, part of southern Campbell County and eastern Anderson County. To participate, contact Chuck Nicholson at cpnicholson53@gmail.com.
December 18 – Great Smoky Mountain CBC
This area is centered in Gatlinburg and includes areas inside the park such as the Sugarlands Visitor Center and extends out towards Cosby. To participate, contact Keith Watson at piedbird@comcast.net.
December 31 – Knoxville CBC
This area is centered in West Knoxville and includes a small part of Blount County. To participate, contact Dean Edwards at sparverius@comcast.net.
January 1 – Cades Cove CBC
This area includes Cades Cove but also extends out to Townsend. If you would like to participate, please contact Susan Hoyle at hoyleshrike@gmail.com.
Enjoy winter birding and contribute to citizen science!
Information from the The Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society aka Knox Birds.