MYBC is off do to some citizen science! Our December event is to partake in the 119th annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) but with a twist. Last year MYBC tagged along for one of the Greater Portland area CBCs, but this year we’ve been given an opportunity to have our very own section on the Biddeford/Kennebunk CBC! We will also have a very special guest attending our CBC section!

We are going to do something a little different for this event by having two “start times” and an “optional” end times (should a young birder want to attend the compilation; see Meet Up and Pickup below).

The CBC is the longest citizen science project in the history of this country, and we are excited to get to share this experience with the Maine Young Birders Club!

There will be a compilation at 4 pm (ish) at the church in Cape Porpoise. Young birders and parents are encouraged to attend. This is a great way to see how all of the data for the CBC are collected and a fun experience in general.

LOGISTICS:  Dress in layers and wear comfortable walking shoes (note it was SUPER cold last year so please come prepared) .  Bring the following: filled water bottle, a bagged lunch and snacks, sunblock, a hat, sunglasses, binoculars, camera (optional), scope (if you have one), notebook & field guide (optional), and a backpack in which you'll keep all your stuff.  If you do not have binoculars, MYBC will provide you with a pair.  

MEET UP and PICK UP: We will have two meet up/drop off times. If interested in owling, we will meet at 3 am at the Saco Park & Ride. We will return to the Saco Park & Ride at 6:30 am to pickup the next round of young birders and start the official CBC. At this point if there are any tired owlers, they can be picked up at this time or they can continue on with the count should they choose. We will return to the Saco Park & Ride at 12 pm for a drop off. Again this is tentative in that if a young birder wishes to continue on with the count, they are certainly more than welcome, though we’d like to have an idea of how many kids we plan to drop off so we can determine if it’s necessary to take count time away to drop off. As mentioned above, if a young birder wishes to continue on to the compilation (and we encourage that) we will be meeting at the church in Cape Porpoise and that will be the final pickup location.

CARPOOLING: If you wish to carpool out of Westbrook with Marion or out of Biddeford with Seth please note in your RSVP or contact us at info@maineyoungbirders.org