Palo Alto Summer Bird Count (SBC) - Saturday, June 7, 2025

The 45th annual Palo Alto Summer Bird Count will be on Saturday, 7 June. The count circle is the same as that used for the Palo Alto Christmas Bird Count, spanning both Santa Clara and San Mateo counties from the bayside to the Santa Cruz Mountains. (See the map of the Palo Alto Count Circle at https://scvbirdalliance.org/capa-sector-map, to better understand the territories.)

The Summer Bird Count uses the same methodology as the Christmas Bird Count, setting a single day in which volunteers count all the individual birds and species that they spot within their assigned territories. However, the Summer Bird Count consistently gets better weather! and many of the bird species are in the middle of their breeding activities. The counters will also track breeding bird behaviors such as courtship, nesting, and carrying food.

For the 2025 count, we're looking for volunteers

1) to join the count! Experienced birders are excitedly welcomed, but we canmatch beginning birders with a team of more skilled birders

2) to coordinate a Sector (a territory which will be covered by multiple groups of birders)

We will host a "Countdown Dinner" the evening of June 7th, where you can meet the other birders, hear about the great sightings of the day, and review the initial data coming back from the count.

If you are interested in participating in the 2025 SBC, contact paloaltocbc@gmail.com.

A list of sector coordinators, tally sheets, and the recommended breeding confirmation codes can be found below.

The eight Sectors are . . .

Sector 1. Bayside habitats mostly east of Hwy 101 in San Mateo County.
Sector 2. Bayside habitats, mostly east of Hwy 101 in Santa Clara County.
Sector 3. Urban habitats in San Mateo County.
Sector 4. Urban habitats in Santa Clara County.
Sector 5. Foothill habitats in San Mateo County.
Sector 6. Foothill habitats in Santa Clara County.
Sector 7. Montane habitats in San Mateo County.
Sector 8. Montane habitats in Santa Clara County.

Count Coordinators for each sector: DOCX

Forms to complete, clip together (don't staple packet), and submit:

2025 Leader Responsibilities DOCX PDF
2025 Palo Alto CBC-SBC Statistics: DOC PDF
2025 Tally Sheet PDF EXCEL
2025 Participant List PDF Excel
2025 Rare Bird Form DOCX PDF
Breeding Confirmation Codes

You can view graphical results for every bird recorded in the Palo Alto Summer Bird Count throughout its 40+ year history. This excellent online database was created by Vayun Tiwari and Arjun Dixit based on data compiled by Bill Bousman. View SBC Species Statistics →

Bill Bousman has also prepared a history of the Palo Alto Summer Bird Count, which you can read in our Science Library, or download the PDF directly.