On Sunday, Dec. 29, birders will scour the woods and trails, beaches and marshes, shorelines and cliffs. They will head out in singles, duos, groups small and large. They will carry binoculars around their necks and birdsong in their hearts.

It is once again time for the Christmas Bird Count, the annual check-in by avian admirers to see which way the wind is blowing for our feathered friends.

The day starts well before dawn as birders on the Vineyard spread out to tally what they see and hear, and later that night gather by the light of computer spreadsheets to share what they have learned.

The Vineyard count began in 1960, but the tradition is world-wide, stretching back to 1900, when an officer of the nascent National Audubon Society named Frank Chapman decided an alternative needed to be created for the annual Christmas hunt, a practice where hunters tried to outdo each other in how many birds they killed on Christmas Day. His idea was to compile a list of birds sighted and left unharmed.

This shift from destruction to lauding of the feathered kingdom was a welcome one; the count now mobilizes over 72,000 volunteer bird counters in more than 2,400 locations across the Western Hemisphere.

The Vineyard count is divided into 13 areas, with a captain leading teams in each spot. Backyard birders are also welcome to send in their sightings.

For questions and information, email Luanne Johnson, executive director of BiodiversityWorks at luanneJ@biodiversityworksmv.org.