124th Christmas Bird Count Season in Illinois Dec. 14th-Jan. 5th

[Jarod Hitchings]

Season's Greetings Central Illinois Birders,

'Tis the season to count birds. I am excited to serve as the regional editor/state compiler for Illinois' Christmas Bird Count this 2023-24 count year. Attached is the master list for the state of Illinois' CBC circles. Also included are the Eastern Iowa counts that report their efforts to the Illinois Ornithological Society. Below are neighboring state counts. Please feel free to add any additional co-compilers, as contacts, or fill-in any unreported count dates if needed. There's also openings for compiler positions in Lyndon (North-Western Illinois not far from the Quad-cities) and the Marion County count (Southern Illinois near Salem and Centralia). I volunteered for my first count in 2018 and the following year became a compiler by resurrecting a nearby dormant count. It is a truly rewarding experience and I want to thank the dedicated compilers that make Illinois the winter wonderland of this winter bird census tradition. Also, the Illinois state winter species list and volunteer form is attached. If anyone has any experience with editing Google Docs or Microsoft Word tables please reach out to me. It's been 10 years since we updated the list and it could use some additions.

Happy holidays,

Jarod Hitchings

Williamsville, Illinois

 ILCBC

 Illinois Christmas Forms combined