The 109th Christmas Bird Count starts on Sunday, and like so many of you, WINGS leaders will be taking to the field all across North America. For some of us, it means parkas and hot chocolate–for others, sunhats and cool, cool water. Wherever we’re birding, we’ll drive, hike, boat, and bike thousands of miles between now and January 5, tallying hundreds of species as we participate in the oldest “citizen science” project in the world.

So who’ll be where?

Arizona’s Atascosa Highlands Count, newly revived and compiled by Rich Hoyer, seems poised to set a new record for WINGS participation, with Gavin Bieber, Narca Moore-Craig, Beth Russell, and Rick Wright all planning to take part. Sneaky indeed will be the bird that gets past that crew! Once his compilation duties are done, Rich Hoyer will move on to counts in Patagoni, Tucson, and Dudleyville, Arizona; Monterey, California, and the Salton Sea; and Puerto Peñasco, Sonora.

In addition to the Atascosa Highlands, Narca Moore-Craig will be birding on the Peloncillo Mountains count and, for her home CBC in Portal, walking out the door to spend the entire day on foot, hiking into a madrone-filled bowl at the base of Portal Peak. Kathi McIvor will be birding the beautiful deserts west of Tucson on this year’s Avra Valley CBC.  Will Russell will join the Patagonia Count (which is hoping to be the only CBC in the US with “that wren” on its list), then head to the Gulf of California for the Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, count before moving back up the coast to Monterey, California. California counts in Bishop, Honey Lake, Eagle Lake, and Santa Barbara will find Jon Dunn covering his sectors. After the Atascosa Highlands, Gavin Bieber will be taking part in the Oaxaca Valley count–a little headstart on this year’s Oaxaca at Christmas tour.

Way out in the other corner of the continent, Derek Lovitch will be starting the CBC season with back-to-back counts in Greater Portland and Southern York County, Maine, followed by Brunswick-Freeport; my money’s on Derek this year for most White-winged Crossbills seen by a WINGS leader in the month of December! Even farther north, Bruce Mactavish will be on board a seismic vessel for most of the count period, but should be on land in time for the Ferryland, Newfoundland, CBC at New Year’s. Chris Wood will be shivering with counters at Montezuma NWR and in Rochester, NY.

And this year’s Bicoastal CBC Award goes to Jon Feenstra, who’ll be starting with three counts in Calilfornia–Tejon Ranch, Santa Cruz Island, and Pasadena–followed by three in New Jersey–Boonton, Long Branch, and Barnegat.

So now you know what we’re up to: Where are you counting? Leave us a comment and tell us which CBC’s are going to benefit from your participation–then follow up to let us know what you saw.