SAVE the DATE for the 2026 Delaware County/Glenolden CBC – Saturday, December 19, 2026.
The 2025 Delaware County/Glenolden CBC was held on Saturday, December 20, 2025. By all accounts, it was a great day in the field with good weather, solid volunteer coverage, and many species tallied as expected. There were some goodies, too, including Greater White-fronted Goose, Evening Grosbeak, Short-eared Owl, and more. Check out the eBird Trip Report and highlights below. Many thanks to everyone who joined the great winter holiday tradition of counting birds for conservation!
BCDC proudly supports the long-running (100+ years) Delaware County/Glenolden Christmas Bird Count (CBC), held annually on the first Saturday of the count period of December 14 to January 5. This CBC encompasses much of Delaware County, from the Delaware River to Newtown Square, Yeadon to Garnet Valley – see the circle boundaries on map below. Volunteer CBC’ers survey hotspots, pocket parks and urban nooks, including: John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, Ridley Creek State Park, Tyler Arboretum, Springton and Crum Creek Reservoirs, Hildacy Preserve, The Willows, Hog Island Road, Marcus Hook, the Delaware River, the Darby Creek greenway, and more. Each year on the designated date, teams of birders fan out across the 15-mile diameter circle to count every bird species and individuals that they can find, from owls, eagles, hawks, and ducks, to woodpeckers, waders, blackbirds, and more. Every bird counts for the CBC!
CBC eBird Trip Reports:
2025 Delaware County/Glenolden CBC eBird Trip Report
2024 Delaware County/Glenolden CBC eBird Trip Report
2023 Delaware County/Glenolden CBC eBird Trip Report
2022 Delaware County/Glenolden CBC eBird Trip Report
2021 Delaware County/Glenolden CBC eBird Trip Report
CBC Recent Highlights:
Highlights from the 2025 Delaware County/Glenolden CBC – December 20, 2025:
* 88 species were tallied, a little below the 10-year average; the record was 117 species in 1978.
* The eBird trip report indicates one less (87) species, not reflecting a Long-eared Owl found within the count circle. (That is a sensitive species and suppressed from public eBird data).
* Greater White-fronted Goose – seen flying over Waterloo Mills Preserve with a flock of Snow Geese – was a brand-new addition to the CBC bringing the cumulative total to 196 species.
* Two long-absent species were recorded this year: Evening Grosbeak – a flyover at Greer Park – was last counted in 1990; the Short-eared Owl seen at dawn along Hog Island Road was last counted in 1995.
* Other goodies include Barred and Long-eared Owls, Eastern Phoebe, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Gray Catbird, American Pipit, and White-crowned Sparrow.
* The conditions at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge were a factor in this year’s CBC; water levels have been extremely low for more than 8 months, and the small amount in the southeast corner of the impoundment was mostly frozen. This resulted in no Gadwall, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, scaup or coot – species that are found on many previous CBC’s. However, the expansive new fields brought a flock of 13 American Pipits, a grassland species that has become quite scarce in the county.
Highlights from the 2024 Delaware County/Glenolden CBC – December 14, 2024:
* 94 species were tallied; the 10-year average is 91 species (the record was 117 species in 1978).
* 65 people participated; the record was 121 participants in 1982.
* Notable species include Cackling Goose, Redhead, Barred and Saw-whet Owls, Black-capped Chickadee, Marsh Wren, Wilson’s Snipe, Eastern Phoebe, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Nashville and Palm Warblers.
* High-count records were set for: Gadwall (202), Northern Shoveler (349), Wood Duck (30), Hooded Merganser (11), and Eastern Phoebe (4).
* There were strong numbers of Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, American Coot, Eastern Screech-Owl, Great Horned Owl, American Kestrel, Fish Crow, Common Raven, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Brown-headed Cowbird, and Purple Finch.
* Fox Sparrow and Common Grackle were markedly fewer than the 15-year median.
* Killdeer, Great Black-backed Gull (seen on count week), Wild Turkey and Pine Siskin were not reported, though they have been found on more than half of the previous 15 counts. (Only one Wild Turkey has been recorded since 2016). American Tree Sparrows are increasingly rare – there were none this CBC.
CBC circle map with Areas:
CBC Photos:
CBC History, Compilers, and Reports:
Christmas Bird Count history:
The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is the longest-running community science project in the world, engaging people of all ages to count birds for conservation. The first-ever CBC took place in 1900, when ornithologist Frank Chapman rallied friends to count birds. He was encouraging an alternative to the holiday tradition of shooting birds on Christmas Day – unfortunately mostly for sport, not food – resulting in thousands of birds lost on a single day of the year. In the late 1800s, birds were already declining at alarming rates, although conservation was hardly a concept at the time.
Today, Audubon, in partnership with Cornell Lab of Ornithology and other organizations, mobilizes thousands of volunteers each year to participate in hundreds of CBCs across the country, contributing important data that informs conservation decisions at every level. Rachel Carson, in penning her powerful book, Silent Spring, referenced data from the CBC to show the decline of birds due to widespread use of the pesticide DDT; her book convinced Congress to enact the Endangered Species Act in 1972, one of the most powerful conservation legislations in effect.
According to the Audubon CBC history webpage: “The data collected by observers over the past century allow Audubon researchers, conservation biologists, wildlife agencies and other interested individuals to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America. When combined with other surveys such as the Breeding Bird Survey, it provides a picture of how the continent’s bird populations have changed in time and space over the past hundred years.
The long term perspective is vital for conservationists. It informs strategies to protect birds and their habitat, and helps identify environmental issues with implications for people as well.”
The Delaware County/Glenolden Christmas Bird Count is among the oldest CBC’s in the US, dating back to the early 1900’s. The exact start year is debatable, as “censuses” took place intermittently before official CBC guidelines were established in the 1930’s. The articles below about early Glenolden CBCs highlight fascinating contrasts in volunteer effort and bird species over time – imagine finding Barn Owls and Rough-legged Hawks, but no Red-bellied Woodpeckers or Black Vultures!
Rich Horwitz – Glenolden CBC Compiler 2023 – present (participant since 1987).
Dave Eberly – Glenolden CBC Compiler 2009-2022 (participant since 1983).
Nick Pulcinella – Glenolden CBC Compiler 1991-2008 (participant since 1969).
Former Glenolden CBC Compilers: Walter Thurber (1989-1990), Frank Haas (1980-1988), Keith Richards (1975-1979), Ted Rigby (1949-1974), John Gillespie (1922-1948).