When we think about the kinds of people making important contributions to science, we might imagine someone in a white lab coat, squinting into a microscope, or pouring over reams of computer data. Truth is, good science can also be accomplished by everyday people-- citizen scientists-- volunteering in both large and small collaborations. National Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count, is a great example of one such collaboration. It started on Christmas Day back in 1900, by a n ornithologist named