Annual bird count returns to Bay Area with weekly tallies through Jan. 2

More than 550 bird watchers are spending their holiday season scouring parks, shorelines and their own backyards in Oakland, Richmond and San Francisco for the Golden Gate Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count.

The count, on hiatus last year due to the pandemic, tallies as many birds as possible in a single day in the three cities. The event began with Oakland this past Sunday. The birders will focus on San Francisco on Dec. 28 and then Richmond on Jan. 2.