Great Backyard Bird Count

This is the third year Steve and I have participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count, sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, and Bird Studies Canada. The count takes place over four days, from Friday, February 12 through Monday, February 15. The count creates a real-time snapshot of birds across the continent, and anyone can join in -- you don't have to be an expert birder to record the birds in your area.

Steve took the photo above of these hooded mergansers on the pond near the house. And below, a few more snapshots...

A California towhee, eyeballing Steve near the trail.

And a yellow-rumped warbler, shortly after emerging from a bath in the creek.

This is a spotted towhee (formerly known as a rufous-sided towhee, the name I'll forever call it; why did they change it, anyway?)...

...and last, a dark-eyed junco (formerly known as the Oregon junco -- ditto above).

Results are in -- Great Backyard Bird Count

Resident great egret at neighborhood pond.

Anna's hummingbird on the trail near the house.

Cinnamon teal pair -- female leading, male behind.

The results are in -- Steve and I spent two hours this afternoon, participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count (a bit of an accomplishment, considering Steve has a bad cold). The weather was cooler than last year and we didn't see quite as many birds, but we still had a nice afternoon. In all, we recorded 32 species -- a total of 273 birds. Spotted our favorite kingfisher, but he wouldn't hold still long enough for Steve to snap a pic. Also reported a pair of red-shouldered hawks, who appeared to be nesting (or preparing to nest) in an oak scrubland not far from the trail.

Great Backyard Bird Count

The Great Backyard Bird Count, sponsored by Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, begins in just four days. Friday, February 13, is the first day that bird watchers of all ages can tally the birds in their communities and backyards, then enter their totals on the GBBC website.

Participants can download a checklist from the site, spending as little as fifteen minutes counting birds, or as long as they like. Waterfowl, raptors, shorebirds and songbirds (anything and everything) are then reported on the website.

Grab your binocs and go!

Save the Date

The 12th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count -- sponsored by National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology -- is slated for February 13-16, 2009. Participants in the 2008 count submitted more than 85,000 checklists and identified 635 species. With your help, organizers are hoping to break those records this year, so give them a hand by adding binoculars to your Xmas list and marking your calendars now!

Great Backyard Bird Count Just Two Weeks Away

The annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), sponsored by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, will be held February 15-18, just two weeks away. During the event, bird watchers of all ages and expertise count birds for four days to help scientists determine the distribution and abundance of birds throughout the U.S. and Canada. Prior to the count, bird watchers can print a checklist for the birds in their area from www.birdcount.org. We’re asked to count birds in our backyards, or at local parks, ponds, marshes, or wildlife refuges, keeping a separate list of counts for each day, and then entering the results via a link on the website.

Last year, birders submitted 81,003 checklists tallying 11,082,387 birds and 613 species.

The 10 most commonly reported species were:

1 – Northern Cardinal

2 – Dark-eyed Junco

3 – Mourning Dove

4 – Blue Jay

5 – Downy Woodpecker

6 – American Goldfinch

7 – House Finch

8 – Tufted Titmouse

9 – American Crow

10 – House Sparrow

I’ve downloaded my checklist, and though I can’t wait to get started, I promise to hold off until February 15!