Join COS for the 72nd Annual Lakefront Christmas Bird Count! Every year on Christmas day, birders sally forth to count birds and contribute their sightings to the oldest continuously running citizen science project in the world. Our count circle includes a wide variety of habitats along the Lake Michigan shoreline from the old oaks of Jackson Park, to the harbors of museum campus, to the dunes of Montrose Point.
WHEN: The Lakefront Christmas Bird Count (CBC) takes place on Thursday, December 25, 2025.
WHAT: We will count all the birds, by species, that are in our "count circle" on the count day.
WHERE: The Lakefront Count Circle is the 15 mile diameter area centered on downtown Chicago (Cook County). Given the presence of and overlap with the Chicago Urban Count, the Lakefront CBC is generally restricted to the city lakefront parks, greenspaces, and harbors east of Lakeshore Drive from Foster Beach to Jackson Park
WHO: You! All are welcome to join our endeavor: veteran and novice alike. You don't have to be an expert on birds or the area. We will match up people who have never done a CBC before with participants who have.
HOW DO I SIGNUP? Send an email to the CBC Compiler with your name, telephone number and email address. Please RSVP by Monday, December 8th.
COST: Participation in the count is free.