2025 Boulder Christmas Bird Count Results
By Bill Schmoker; Boulder Christmas Bird Count Compiler
The 84th Boulder Christmas Bird Count was held on a mercifully calm 14 December 2025. I now have all of the territory reports and can sum up the count as "WOW!"
Our count day total of 110 species ties our best tally in the last 10 years, with 5 more count-week species coming in to reach 115 total for our 2025 count window.
Our participation was outstanding, with 184 folks contributing their talents in the field and watching feeders. This is our top figure in the past 10 years (and probably ever. I’m going to have to dig back to check on this.) I know a big part of our success is covering most of our 33 territories so well, with a total of 54 parties in the field throughout the day as many of the larger groups split into smaller teams to cover their areas even better.
Harold Eyster, Ted Floyd, Artemis Eyster, and Isabelle Busch (L to R) starting out the count near South Boulder Creek. The counters may have been bundled up at sunrise but shorts were worn by at least one CBC participant later on this unusually warm CBC day! Photo courtesy of Ted Floyd.
Our success is a direct reflection of the quality of our leaders and the effort they put into the count — thanks and kudos to you all! We only had one territory go uncounted this year- Lefthand Canyon. Maybe a new Chukar population is being missed up there, ha ha!!
Leading the bird news are 4(!!!!) new species for the count: Spotted Sandpiper, Tennessee Warbler, Nashville Warbler, and Northern Parula. The Spottie was in the White Rocks area and the choice warblers were holdouts from the fall's "Magic Tree" spectacle along the creek by Boulder High School. These bring our all-time species total on the count to 224 species.
Other rarities, seen 10 or fewer times on previous counts, were Lapland Longspur (4 prior counts), a count-week Great-tailed Grackle (which has been ticked on 5 prior counts but a count week bird won't add to that total), Say's Phoebe and Northern Saw-whet Owl (6 prior), Hermit Thrush and a count week Eared Grebe (8 prior), and Ross's Goose (9 prior.) Somewhat astounding, given their aforementioned paucity, were counts of 5 Say's Phoebes and 3 Hermit Thrushes this year.
Surely giving its finder Matt H a jolt of adrenaline, was a drake Eurasian X American Wigeon hybrid that looked a lot like the Euro version but had traits of both parental species visible upon close scrutiny.
Two non-bird standouts (and I think also new to the count) were a bat species seen over Harper Lake in the Teller Lakes South territory and an Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer (snake) in the Boulder Reservoir territory. Probably not great news for either individual organism to be out in the unusual December warmth but for sure a sign of our very temperate fall and early winter.
The day ended with a compilation dinner at Niwot Hall that was enjoyed by those able to attend.
Joel Such, Axel Bodeux, Supreme Leader Schmoker, Isabelle Busch, Sean Huntley, Matt Hofeditz, Owen Robertson, and Archer Silverman celebrating at the compilation dinner after tallying the day’s totals. Photo (and caption) by Ted Floyd.
Article adapted with permission of the author from his post to the COBirds forum on 12 January 2026.