Christmas Bird Count at Forest Hill Cemetery with the Feminist Bird Club

Welcome to the Madison chapter of the Feminist Bird Club's December event! We are a bird club dedicated to promoting diversity in birding and providing a safe opportunity to connect with the natural world while fundraising to protect the rights of LGBTQIA+ folks, women, and people of color.

Join us for the Christmas Bird Count on Saturday, December 19 at Forest Hill Cemetery. The Christmas Bird Count is one of the longest running citizen science projects in the country. Its goal is to take a "bird census" to better understand bird populations, especially in the winter. As we count birds, we hope to encounter woodpeckers, nuthatches, brown creepers, and, if we're really lucky, winter finches like crossbills! 🤞

There are 2 options for participating in this event. The registration form will ask you if you are attending both one or both sessions.

• 5:30 am to 7am: Pre-dawn owling (aka listening for owls as we walk through the cemetery)
• 7:30am to 9:30am: Christmas Bird Count main event
• From 7am to 7:30am there will be a break to warm up, grab coffee, or use a restroom, etc.

RSVP is required so we can make sure our trip leaders can accommodate everyone.

Directions and Parking: We'll meet at the northern most entrance to the cemetery, accessed off Speedway Rd. Please use this pin for directions. You can park along the inside road to the cemetery or along Speedway for street parking.

Accessibility information: We will be walking on paved roads that are generally plowed in the early mornings in the event of snow. Depending on weather, the roads may be icy. The route is mostly flat with some gentle hills. For those joining in the owling portion of this event, we may travel on grass or snow-covered paths that are not paved and will be walking in low-light conditions. Please contact us directly (see email below) if you have questions about whether or not this event can accommodate any accessibility needs.

Binoculars are available upon request. You will have the option to indicate if you need a pair before you checkout.

In the event of inclement weather we will cancel and notify you by 6pm the day before the event (though CBCs are usually held rain, snow, or shine).

More information

• Learn more about the Feminist Bird Club
• Follow the Madison chapter on Facebook
• Sign up for our newsletter
• Email us at [email protected]