About the Club

Mission Statement

The Carolina Bird Club is a non-profit organization that represents and supports the birding community in the Carolinas through its website, publications, meetings, workshops, trips, and partnerships, whose mission is


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The Carolina Bird Club, Inc., is a non-profit educational and scientific association open to anyone interested in the study and conservation of wildlife, particularly birds.

The Club meets each winter, spring, and fall at different locations in the Carolinas. Meeting sites are selected to give participants an opportunity to see many different kinds of birds. Guided field trips and informative programs are combined for an exciting weekend of meeting with people who share an enthusiasm and concern for birds.

The Club offers research grants in avian biology for undergraduate and graduate students, and scholarships for young birders.

The Club publishes two print publications (now also available online). The Chat is a quarterly ornithological journal that contains scientific articles, reports of bird records committees and bird counts, and general field notes on bird sightings. CBC Newsletter is published bimonthly and includes birding articles and information about meetings, field trips, and Club news.

The Club provides this website to all for free.

By becoming a member, you support the activities of the Club, receive reduced registration fee for meetings, can participate in bonus field trips, and receive our publications.

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Carolina Big Years

History of Big Years in North Carolina (by Derb Carter)

Since there has been discussion of NC Big Years, I thought a short recap of the history would be of interest to some.

1987 327 John Fussell. This was the first serious effort at a NC Big Year that I am aware of. John was working on the Outer Banks at the time, no better place to see a lot of species. This was when phones had dials and were connected by wires, Bill Gates had just come out of his garage to market windows the year before, and Mark Zuckerberg was two years old. John found nearly all the birds, and went on to write the definitive coastal birding guide many have used over the years.

1991 328 John Wright. Long-time NC birder John Wright broke the record by one four years later.

1993 339 Steve Dinsmore. Steve was pursuing his PhD at NC State, studying shorebirds on the Outer Banks. Again, no better place to spend a lot of time and see many species. He is now a professor of ornithology and Chair of the Ecology and Natural Resource Management Department at Iowa State.

2001 344 Patricia and Russ Tyndall. This husband wife team set the new standard eight years later. Carolinabirds listserv came on line in 1996, undoubtedly aiding the effort.

2005 348 Ricky Davis. Four years later, Ricky broke the record by four. He birds as much as anyone I know in the state, has one of the biggest if not biggest list every year, and this year made a special effort.

2008 351 Derb Carter. I had cases and work across the state particularly on the coast this year, allowing me to work in some birding time. I did make an effort to go after some rarities (and missed Ruffed Grouse). The first Apple iPhone was released in 2007.

2018 351 Jamie Adams. Jamie made an effort two years ago and tied the record, which I am sure was frustrating. He photographed nearly all the species he saw.

2020 359 Stephen Howell set a new NC Big Year record last year. He also photographed most of the birds he saw. Congratulations to Steve.

In my opinion, Steve's record is going to be hard to beat, given the extraordinary number of rarities and even new species for the state this year. But not impossible. In 2008, I kept up with the number of species reliably reported in the state that year and the total was 273. And technology has changed birding and information on rare birds is instantaneous if you want it to be.