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It's time to pick up your binoculars and make a list of who's been hanging out in your backyard. The date's been set: this year's Great Backyard Bird Count will be held on February 17-20. Anyone can participate in this free event and no registration is needed.
If you haven’t done it before - not to worry. You don’t have to be an expert. Head to your library. Check out a bird identification book. Go home and - if you don't have one - put up a bird feeder near your window. Identify the birds.
If you need help figuring out who's who, call Agassiz Audubon (218-745-5663).
Here’s how the count works: Watch and count birds for at least 15 minutes on any day of the count, February 17-20, 2012. Enter your results at www.birdcount.org, where you can watch as the tallies grow across the continent. If you don’t have a computer – head to your local library!
The Great Backyard Bird Count is sponsored by Audubon, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada. The four-day count typically records more than 10 million observations. The results provide a snapshot of the whereabouts of more than 600 bird species.
"When thousands of people all tell us what they’re seeing, we can detect patterns in how birds are faring from year to year," said Janis Dickinson, director of Citizen Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "
The Great Backyard Bird Count is a perfect example of Citizen Science," says Audubon Chief Scientist, Gary Langham. "Like Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count, volunteers help us with data year after year, providing scientific support that is the envy of many institutions. It’s also a lot of fun."
"We’re finding that more people are taking part in our bird count programs every year--and the more that take part, the better it is for the birds," says Richard Cannings, Senior Projects Officer for Bird Studies Canada.
The 2011 GBBC brought in more than 92,000 bird checklists submitted by participants from across the United States and Canada. Altogether, bird watchers identified 596 species with 11.4 million bird observations. Results from last year’s GBBC included:
• Increased reports of Evening Grosbeaks, a species that has been declining;
• A modest seasonal movement of winter finches farther south in their search for food;
• The Eurasian Collared-Dove was reported from Alaska for the first time, more evidence of an introduced species rapidly expanding its range.
Although it’s called the Great “Backyard” Bird Count, the count extends well beyond backyards. Lots of participants choose to head for national parks, nature centers, urban parks, nature trails, or nearby sanctuaries. For more information, including bird-ID tips, instructions, and past results, visit www.birdcount.org.
The count also includes a photo contest and a prize drawing for participants who enter their bird checklists online.
It's time to pick up your binoculars and make a list of who's been hanging out in your backyard. The date's been set: this year's Great Backyard Bird Count will be held on February 17-20. Anyone can participate in this free event and no registration is needed.
If you haven’t done it before - not to worry. You don’t have to be an expert. Head to your library. Check out a bird identification book. Go home and - if you don't have one - put up a bird feeder near your window. Identify the birds.
If you need help figuring out who's who, call Agassiz Audubon (218-745-5663).
Here’s how the count works: Watch and count birds for at least 15 minutes on any day of the count, February 17-20, 2012. Enter your results at www.birdcount.org, where you can watch as the tallies grow across the continent. If you don’t have a computer – head to your local library!
The Great Backyard Bird Count is sponsored by Audubon, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada. The four-day count typically records more than 10 million observations. The results provide a snapshot of the whereabouts of more than 600 bird species.
"When thousands of people all tell us what they’re seeing, we can detect patterns in how birds are faring from year to year," said Janis Dickinson, director of Citizen Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "
The Great Backyard Bird Count is a perfect example of Citizen Science," says Audubon Chief Scientist, Gary Langham. "Like Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count, volunteers help us with data year after year, providing scientific support that is the envy of many institutions. It’s also a lot of fun."
"We’re finding that more people are taking part in our bird count programs every year--and the more that take part, the better it is for the birds," says Richard Cannings, Senior Projects Officer for Bird Studies Canada.
The 2011 GBBC brought in more than 92,000 bird checklists submitted by participants from across the United States and Canada. Altogether, bird watchers identified 596 species with 11.4 million bird observations. Results from last year’s GBBC included:
• Increased reports of Evening Grosbeaks, a species that has been declining;
• A modest seasonal movement of winter finches farther south in their search for food;
• The Eurasian Collared-Dove was reported from Alaska for the first time, more evidence of an introduced species rapidly expanding its range.
Although it’s called the Great “Backyard” Bird Count, the count extends well beyond backyards. Lots of participants choose to head for national parks, nature centers, urban parks, nature trails, or nearby sanctuaries. For more information, including bird-ID tips, instructions, and past results, visit www.birdcount.org.
The count also includes a photo contest and a prize drawing for participants who enter their bird checklists online.
