This past Saturday, December 16th was the 124th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count in Madison. The Christmas Bird Count is considered the longest-running formal citizen science project in the nation and is held annually throughout North America in December and January. The goal is to understand which bird species are found where during the winter season. (While the count in Madison happened over the weekend, there are more counts in the area through January 1st. Find out more here.)

Monday host Douglas Haynes was out counting birds with his kids on Saturday and decided to welcome a group of Madison birders to the station to tell us about the count and the birds that have been spotted. We talk with Jeff Galligan, Brenna Marsicek, and Sean Radcliffe and hear from a handful of callers.

Dr. Jeff Galligan is co founder of the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin and a member of The Badgerland Bird Alliance board of directors and a steering committee member of Bird City Wisconsin.

Brenna Marsicek is director of communication and outreach for the Badgerland Bird Alliance.

Sean Radcliffe is a Wisconsin Master Naturalist, fledgling birder and Madison area coordinator for the BIPOC birding club of Wisconsin.

Sound cloud image by Cole Marshall on Unsplash

Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here