Orange Audubon Society Brings the Christmas Bird Count to Elementary and Middle School Students

It’s December in Orange County, FL, and the Christmas Bird Count is on. For students at Zellwood Elementary and Wolf Lake Middle School, that means they set their eyes on the skies for this century-old community science initiative – with a little help from Orange Audubon Society (OAS).

Orange Audubon Education Coordinator Kathy Rigling has led the effort to involve students in the Christmas Bird Count for three years. Using Audubon grants, OAS purchased high-quality binoculars for the students to borrow during the count. Rigling created a nine-minute video for teachers to explain the community science effort to document all the birds seen or heard, providing a snapshot of bird population trends. During the Christmas Bird Count, teams across the hemisphere are organized and assigned specific areas to survey birds within 15-mile count circles in their region.

Students, of course, have to fit the count within their class schedules, so each participating class allotted around 45 minutes to range across campus counting birds and species. Rigling and volunteers write down the birds and turn sightings into an eBird list to report back to the students and the Christmas Bird Count coordinators. Using additional grant funding, Orange Audubon continues to work with participating schools to enhance campus bird habitat so students in future years can find even more species.

Think age keeps the youngest kids from participating? Think again! “The kindergarten and first grade students did a simple tally sheet with bird colors and not actual species, but they were able to get the idea of what we were doing,” explains Rigling.

2025-2026 Highlights

Across both schools, students recorded 40 bird species. They started at Zellwood with a gorgeous Baltimore Oriole in a pine tree. Additionally, “the elementary students were fascinated with the Palm Warblers that were relatively easy to see foraging on the ground. They were excited to hear how far these tiny warblers migrate each year,” says Rigling.

Over at the middle school, students celebrated when they spotted three American White Pelicans flying relatively low over their campus. They also recorded a mixed flock of Black-and-white Warblers, Tufted Titmice, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and a Blue-headed Vireo.

Overall, 37 classes participated this year, ranging from pre-K through eighth grade.

“I have visited Zellwood multiple times and last year after the Christmas Bird Count so many students came up to me and were excited to share that they remember going out and counting the birds,” Rigling adds. “It makes a real impact on them.”

Audubon Florida’s Chapters Conservation Manager Kristen Kosik agrees: “It's so important to show students of all ages that they can directly contribute to science and conservation. Participating in a Christmas Bird Count is a wonderful way to jumpstart their birding and science adventures!"