Boreal owl Dec. 14, 2023

In the world of birdwatching, the Christmas Bird Count is a fun highlight of the year. This annual bird census was first launched in 1900. The first bird count involved just 27 people spread over 25 locations in Canada and the US. Since then, the count has grown exponentially, with more than 2,360 locations across the Western Hemisphere participating.

© Nick Saunders/Minden Pictures

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Today in History

Festive foliage in the garden
Dec. 14, 2024Christmas Bird Count turns 125
Dec. 14, 2025Christmas Bird Count

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Singing the blues
An ugly duckling no more
Feb. 11, 2025Yungang Grottoes, Datong, China
Mar. 10, 2025National Napping Day
May 11, 2026Great Barrier Reef from above, Queensland, Australia
Sep. 10, 2025Hay bales in North Yorkshire, England
Dec. 11, 2025International Mountain Day
Sep. 21, 2023International Day of Peace
Nov. 29, 2024Mont-Saint-Michel, Normandy, France
Where we go to play
Mar. 1, 2025Aurora borealis over Maligne Lake in Alberta
Jul. 27, 2025Barracudas at Shark Reef, Ras Mohammed National Park, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
Jan. 5, 2026A herd of impalas, Londolozi Game Reserve, South Africa
Apr. 20, 2025Happy Easter!
Jul. 24, 2025Happy Cousins Day!
Apr. 20, 2024Grand Prismatic Spring at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
A kiss and a sigh
May 13, 2026Arch and Milky Way, Alabama Hills, Sierra Nevada, California, USA
Jun. 21, 2025World Giraffe Day
Sep. 21, 2024Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
Trails leading to the gateway of nature.
Dec. 3, 2025Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, United States
This museum sets the prairie on fire
Jul. 27, 2024Vineyards above the Moselle River, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Giants of the Southern Ocean
Oct. 3, 2025Glen Brittle, Isle of Skye, Scotland
Sep. 17, 2025A young bull moose, Denali National Park, Alaska, United States
May the 4th be with you
Mar. 31, 2025Ostuni, Apulia, Italy
Let the Great Backyard Bird Count begin!