Brenda McIntyre remembers doing the CBC deep in snow at Overpeck Preserve in 2009. “Looking down toward the water we spied a tiny Winter Wren hopping around in the shrubbery. And as we looked up at the sky there it was, a majestic Bald Eagle soaring overhead, totally awesome in extremes”.

Denise Farrell of Bergen County Audubon Society remembers being afield with Peggy O’Neill at Oradell Reservoir. “We were at our first stop and right off we had 7 Bald Eagles, all flying low. As we turned and looked up we spotted a Peregrine that had perched on a dead snag, watching us. Great birds in less than a half hour.” 

Many people, like Julie McCall, will never forget their very first CBC. “The great thing about the CBC is that it gets you looking for things you don’t expect and in places you don’t expect them. I was surprised when we found a Common Yellowthroat in December! It really hit home when the leader checked the records and determined that the bird was one of only a precious few that have ever been counted in our circle since the circle began.”

Sometimes birders’ memories of the CBC are about more than birds. My most memorable CBC came a few years back when the kind folks from the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission asked me if I would like to help out. At first I was a little hesitant. I had just come off two cancer surgeries, and just to top it off, hernia surgery to boot. Needless to say I was feeling pretty weak. I wasn’t too sure that I could handle it but I took it as a personal challenge.

Although it was a little touch and go at times, I made it through the long cold day. I was proud of myself and felt like I had accomplished something that day and oh yes, the birds were great too. Now as the years go by and I get to participate in more counts, I consider myself lucky to able to continue doing something I love and will never forget when I almost couldn’t do it at all.

Cold hands, wet feet, snow, rain, wind, and of course great birds are all things that make for an unforgettable CBC. But much more than that, it is about the great people you get to share those special memories with.

My good friend Jim Wright from the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission said it perfectly. “The reason the CBC is special is that it creates so many nice memories…not so much of birds counted, but moments savored.” 

There is no need to be an expert birder, just join a group. Make it a family tradition and join a Christmas Bird Count near you. 

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