This years Northeast Illinois/Northwest Indiana Christmas Bird Counts will run from December 18 through January 2. For those new to counting, the information collected at this time is vital for conservation. Results are compiled into the longest running database in ornithology, representing 100+ years of unbroken data on population trends. Newcomers are welcome. Please contact the compiler for your area, listed below. A fee ($5) per observer is collected to pay for compiling and publishing of results. (The exceptions to the $5 fee are the Indiana Dunes and the Calumet counts, which are $2.50)

• Saturday, December 18, 2004: Fermilab-Batavia (DuPage Birding Club). Denis Kania; melissalkania@lightfirst.com ; (630) 961-5364.
  
• Saturday, December 18, 2004: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. (Dunes/Calumet Audubon Society and Chicago Audubon Society); Joy Bower; teetrsnipe@aol.com; (219) 844-3188 (days).
  
• Saturday, December 18, 2004: McHenry County. David Frey; 815/338-4866 dafcjf656@yahoo.com.
  
• Sunday, December 19, 2004: Chicago Urban (Evanston-North Shore Bird Club and Chicago Audubon Society). Jeff Sanders; yellowstart5@yahoo.com, (847) 657-6431.
  
• Sunday, December 19, 2004: Lisle-Morton Arboretum (Chicago Ornithological Society). Geoffrey A. Williamson; lislecbc@chicagobirder.org; (773) 935-8439.
  
• Monday, December 20, 2004: Barrington (Prairie Woods Audubon, Kane County Audubon, Natural History Society of Barrington, and Max McGraw Wildlife Fdn.). Duane Heaton; dheaton19@comcast.net ; (847) 358-5856 (evenings).
  
• Saturday, December 25, 2004: Chicago Lakefront. Joel Greenberg; ckerchmar@earthlink.net; (630) 725-9416.
  
• Sunday, December 26, 2004: Evanston-North Shore (Evanston-North Shore Bird Club). Joel Greenberg; ckerchmar@earthlink.net (630) 725-9416; and Tim Wallace. NOTE: People should cover the same areas they have in the past; if there are any questions, please call Joel Greenberg.
  
• Sunday, December 26, 2004: Calumet City/Sand Ridge (Sand Ridge Audubon Society). Carolyn Marsh; cmarshbird@prodigy.net; (219) 659-7904.
  
• Saturday, January 1, 2005: Waukegan (Evanston-North Shore Bird Club). Joel Greenberg; ckerchmar@earthlink.net (630) 725-9416.
  
• Sunday, January 2, 2005: Thorn Creek/Park Forest (Thorn Creek Audubon Society). Jim Kelly; jjkelly959@aol.com; (708) 790-4702.
  
• Sunday, January 2, 2005: South Lake County (Indiana) (Dunes-Calumet Audubon Society). Barb Dodge; (219) 374-4385.