Join in the Great Backyard Bird Count!

If the crocuses in my yard are poking through the ground and starting to bloom, and that means it must be February. If it's February, it must be time for the Great Backyard Bird Count!!

Since 1997, every winter the Audubon Society and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology team up to promote a massive citizen science project known as The Great Backyard Bird Count. During the winter of 2000 nearly 60,000 people participated. It's free, it's fun, and your participation helps scientists and onservationists obtain a more accurate picture of winter bird populations in North America.

Here's what you do. During the weekend of February 15-18, you'll count the birds in your backyard, local park, or other natural area. Count for at least fifteen minutes, recording the largest number of birds in each species that you see at one time -- ten blue jays, five juncos, six black-capped chickadees -- whatever you see. At the end of the day, fill out a checklist and submit your counts online at http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/. You can count on only one day, or you can count on all four days. You can count in one location, or you can count in a different location each day. Just make sure you submit one form for each location, and if you count for more than one day, one form for each day.

The Great Backyard Bird Count website has complete information on how to sign up, how to submit your data, and what you can do to prepare. For example, if you aren't familiar with the birds that come to your feeders, your counting will be easier if you take some time before the Great Backyard Bird Count to learn what kinds of birds you have. They have an on-line identification guide to help you learn about different common species.

I will be monitoring the Backyard Birdwatching Almanac all weekend between February 15-18, so if you have any questions about the event or about how to count and submit your data, just post a note in the discussions section and I'll respond as quickly as I can. I will also be counting in my own neighborhood, and will post my results at the end of each day. I encourage you to do the same, so we can all see what kinds of birds each of us are seeing across the country! Data collected and submitted by counters will also be available, instantaneously, at the GBBC website. I urge you to participate, whatever your level of birding skill. Without the participation of ordinary citizens like you (and me), there is no way that scientists could obtain an accurate, cross-continent snapshot of winter bird populations. So make a pot of coffee, put your binoculars by your favorite chair, get ready, get set, COUNT!!

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