The 125th annu­al Audubon Christ­mas Bird Count — the nation’s longest-run­ning Com­mu­ni­ty-Sci­ence bird project — will soon be under­way nation­wide, and in all five bor­oughs of New York City. Any­one can par­tic­i­pate, even begin­ner bird­ers! The data col­lect­ed over the past cen­tu­ry by vol­un­teer observers, rang­ing from expe­ri­enced ornithol­o­gists to casu­al nature enthu­si­asts, allow researchers to study the long-term health and sta­tus of bird pop­u­la­tions across North Amer­i­ca.