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Bird Counting

© Fred J. Kane

This article is being reprinted with the permission of Allison Wells who is the Media Contact at CORNELL LABRATORY OF ORNITHOLOGY.

CORNELL LABRATORY OF ORNITHOLOGY 159 SAPSUCKER WOODS ROAD• ITHACA, NEW YORK 14850-1999 (607) 254-BIRD

Media contact: Allison Wells, Cornell Lab of Ornithology (607) 254-2475 email-- amw25@cornell.edu

Great Backyard Bird Count Celebrates 5TH Anniversary February 15-18, 2002

Audubon, Cornell Lab of Ornithology ask all bird enthusiasts to take part in celebration.

"December 2001 - "The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society are asking every bird enthusiast across North America to help celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) by counting birds February 15 through 18, 2002.

Families, individuals, classrooms, Scout troops-everyone with an interest in birds-are asked to take as little as 15 minutes on any or all of the four GBBC days to count the numbers and kinds of birds they see. They can count in their back yards, school yards, local parks, nature centers and sanctuaries, or other favorite birding location, including right out the office window. Reports are submitted over the Internet, at www.birdsource.org/gbbc and compiled almost immediately, for all to view in the form of animated maps, graphs, and charts.

"Our message for this landmark year of the Great Backyard Bird Count is simple and straightforward: help us continue building this important index of the birds we all so enjoy," says Frank Gill, Audubon's vice president of science and conservation. "Only with the help of birders across the continent will we be able to monitor changes in the distribution and abundance of birds and determine measures necessary to ensure their protection."

This year's count marks the 5th anniversary of the immensely popular event. More than 100,000 citizen scientists have taken part in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Their reports have helped researchers track winter finch invasions, investigate the correlation between snow cover and northerly distributions of American Robins and document "the arrival of spring" by following movements of black birds as they begin their migrations back to their breeding grounds.

"Given the many challenges now facing our nation, it's more urgent than ever that we continue to focus on those things most important to us," says John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "Few things are more precious than our natural heritage. The Great Backyard Bird Count is an easy and enjoyable way to cast your vote, in a sense, to help ensure the birds and the habitats upon which they depend will be around for generations to come."

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