Armed with binoculars, volunteer birders will soon search for birdlife all over North Carolina as they participate in Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC), which runs from December 14, 2011 to January 5, 2012. Now in its 112th year, this early-winter bird census is the longest running Citizen Science survey in the world. During the count period, an estimated 60,000 people in the United States, Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands will identify and count all the birds they see during a 24-hour period.

Fifty-one counts are scheduled throughout North Carolina during the 2011-2012 season. The counts cover the entire state, from the Highlands Plateau in western North Carolina to Bodie-Pea Island on the Outer Banks.

To learn more visit the Audubon NC website.