Great Backyard Bird Count
Bird Watchers are invited to take part in the 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), Friday 
February 12, through Monday, February 15, 2010. Participants in the free event will join tens of thousands of volunteers of all levels of birding experience to count birds in their own backyards, local parks or wildlife refuges.
Taking part in the GBBC is a great way to get outside with family and friends, have fun and help count birds – all at the same time. Anyone who can identify even a few species can provide important information.
Participants count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the event and report their sighting on at www.birdcount.org.
Bird populations are always shifting and changing. For example, 2009 GBBC date highlighted a huge southern invasion of Pine Siskins across much of the eastern United States. Participants counted 279,469 Pine Siskins on 18,528 checklists, as compared to a the previous high of 38,977 birds on 4,069 checklists in 2005. Failure of seed crops father north caused the Siskins to move south to find their favorite food.
On the www.birdcount.org website, participants can get more information and explore real-time maps and charts that show what others are reporting during the count. The site has tips to help identify birds and special material for educators. Participants may also enter the GBBC photo contest by uploading images taken during the count. Many images will be featured in the GBBC website’s photo gallery. All participants are entered in a drawing for prizes that include bird feeders, binoculars, books, CD’s, and many other great birding projects.
Why Count Birds?
Blackburnian Warbler
Scientist and bird enthusiasts can learn a lot by knowing where the birds are. Bird populations are dynamic; they are constantly in flux. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to document the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time.
The Great Backyard Bird Count needs your help. Make sure that birds from your area are well represented in the count. It doesn’t matter whether you report the 5 species coming to your backyard feeder or the 75 species you see during a day’s outing to as wildlife refuge. Your counts can help to answer many questions.
Bird Information and Facts, bird watching. | Comment (0)What makes bird identity difficult?
Most people watch the birds in their own yard and surrounding bushes and trees, at least in the beginning. Although, a trip to Costa Rica with a qualified bird guide to the Rain Forest would be a welcome, never to be forgotten experience!
When you see an unusual bird in your yard, review these three points. If you are still convinced you have a rare bird, get a clear picture and send it to the Cornell University of Ornathology. I know you will be describing it in your annual Bird Count . They have helped me several times as I progressed in my ability to identify birds. They are a great resource, and its free!
- Molting is a transition stage from season to season when their old feathers are replaced with new ones. Yet not all breeds and sexes experience it at the same intensity. The duration of the molt process varies by species as well.
- Juveniles in your back yard keep their plumage for only a short time, so they are hard to get to know. Often, the best giveaway is that you see a recognizable parent feeding the cryptic young. Often juveniles are more spotted or streaked than their parents while others are just dull and nondescript. Youngsters are seldom colorful.
- Unfamiliarity can be a challenge in the beginning and yet you can and will get better. Get a good pair of binoculars and observe the different markings of feathers, eyes, size, and mannerism. Get a good field guide and keep it handy.
Welcome to our world of exciting and rewarding birding!
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