-
2011 Great Backyard Bird Count!
Great Backyard Bird Count Asks for Your Help
Count Birds February 18-21
Black-crested Titmouse. Photo by GBBC participant Gregg Lee, Texas.
February 8, 2011—The 14th annual Great Backyard Bird Count is coming up February 18–21, 2011. People of all ages and skill levels are needed to count birds in their yards, neighborhoods, or other locations across the United States and Canada. Simply tally birds for at least 15 minutes on any day of the count, then go to www.birdcount.org and enter the highest number of each species seen at any one time.
Coordinated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, and Bird Studies Canada, the count provides an instantaneous snapshot of birdlife across the continent for all to see. Anyone can watch as the tallies come in at www.birdcount.org. Organizers hope to receive more than 100,000 checklists during the event, with tallies of more than 600 bird species in all.
Last year’s participants reported more than 1.8 million American Robins, as well as rarities such as the first Red-billed Tropicbird in the count’s history.
“Whether people observe birds in backyards, parks, or wilderness areas, the Great Backyard Bird Count is an opportunity to share their results at www.birdcount.org,” said Judy Braus, Audubon’s vice president of Education and Centers. “It’s fun and rewarding for people of all ages and skill levels–and it gets people outside!”
“When thousands of people all tell us what they’re seeing, we can detect changes in birds’ numbers and locations from year to year,” said Dr. Janis Dickinson, director of Citizen Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
“While this is the depths of winter in most of Canada and only the hardiest birds brave the cold, understanding of trends in the distribution and abundance at this time of year is important as well,” said Dr. George Finney, president of Bird Studies Canada.
A young GBBC participant carefully makes out her checklist. Photo by GBBC participant Christina Phinney, Michigan. Data from the Great Backyard Bird Count can provide an early signal of changes in bird populations. Past counts showed a drop in reports of American Crows after outbreaks of West Nile virus in 2003, a finding consistent with studies showing crow populations declined by 50–75% in some states. Maps from the count have also captured the paths of migrating Sandhill Cranes and recorded the dramatic spread Eurasian Collared-Doves. Introduced to the Bahamas in the 1970s, the species was reported in just 8 states during the 1999 GBBC. A decade later, it was reported in 39 states and Canadian provinces.
“I have joined the Great Backyard Bird Count for the past three years and am really looking forward to doing it again,” said participant Kathy Bucher of Exira, Iowa. “I really enjoy nature and bird watching. My mother and I share updates on the birds we see. It’s a fun hobby to share with a loved one!”
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. -
Will the Gulf Oil Spill Affect Your Backyard Birds?
As oil washes ashore along the Gulf Coast, we here at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are asking birders to keep an eye on nesting birds—not just near water, but hundreds of miles inland.
Wildlife biologists are monitoring species such as pelicans and plovers in the immediate path of the oil, but we need bird watchers across the country to help us find out if birds that pass through or winter in the Gulf region carry contamination with them, possibly creating an “oil shadow” of declines in bird reproduction hundreds of miles from the coast.
If you have an interest in birds, you can learn how to find and monitor nests as part of the Cornell Lab’s NestWatch project (www.nestwatch.org). You visit a nest for a few minutes, twice per week, and record information such as how many eggs it contains, how many chicks hatch, and how many leave the nest.
Many birds that nest in backyards all across North America, such as Red-winged Blackbirds and Tree Swallows, spend part of the year along the Gulf of Mexico, where they could be affected by the oil spill. We know that toxins often have profound effects on reproduction, and it’s possible that toxins encountered in one environment can affect the birds in another environment, after they arrive on their breeding grounds.
When you take part in NestWatch, information collected across large regions helps scientists assess changes in nesting success in relation to environmental factors such as habitat loss, climate change, and pollution.
Citizen-science participants have been helping the Cornell Lab monitor the success rates of nesting birds for 45 years. Now, it’s especially critical to capture data on nesting birds to reveal the health of birds before they encounter the oil spill—as well as in the years ahead, to detect possible long-term effects.
If you would like to be part of this effort, please visit www.nestwatch.org. Thank you for helping the birds!
Sincerely,
Laura Burkholder, project leader
NestWatch
[email protected] -
It Sarts Tomorrow!
February 11, 2010 Great Backyard Bird Count Begins Tomorrow!
Join the 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count by tallying the birds you see at any location during February 12-15. Watch for at least 15 minutes on one or more count days, record the highest number of each species you see at any one time, and enter your checklist at birdcount.org. Put your sightings on the map and watch as counts pour in from around the United States and Canada! The count is led by the Cornell Lab, Audubon, and Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada, with sponsorship from Wild Birds Unlimited. Learn more at birdcount.org.
Sneak Peek: “We Love Birds” Community WebsiteThe Natural Resources Defense Council and the Cornell Lab are getting ready to launch an interactive online community for bird enthusiasts at WeLoveBirds.org. We invite you to preview the site today, become a community member, and invite your friends, too. The site provides a place for conservation-minded bird watchers to connect with one another about the issues they care about. Visit WeLoveBirds.org.
Birds That Sound Like KazoosOn an island in the Indian Ocean, recordist Jon Erickson recorded White-tailed Tropicbirds and the “kazoo operas” performed by Wedge-tailed Shearwaters. Learn more and hear these unusual sounds by visiting Round Robin, the Cornell Blog of Ornithology. For more unusual sounds, try the Herald Petrel’s “burbling spaceship” call.
Top 5 Tips for “iPhoneiscoping”When you see a great bird, don’t miss a chance to take home a snapshot—by using your cell phone and your binoculars or scope. Charles Eldermire, manager of the Cornell Lab’s visitor center, shares some of his pics and his top tips for getting started. Go.
Watching Crows: More Than Meets the EyeCrows are family birds, sometimes living in groups with extended family members or even “adopting” the kids of unrelated neighbors. Find out how to watch for clues throughout the seasons to tell you what their antics mean. Learn more.
Find Out What this Weird and Wonderful Bird Has in Common with Your Backyard BirdsWhat’s round, black-and-electric blue, bounces and snaps, and is loved by the ladies? It’s a male Superb Bird-of-Paradise doing its courtship display. No one looking at just their feathers would ever predict the bizarre and elaborate dance males in this family do to attract mates. (If your browser didn’t load the photo, view our web version—this picture is not to be missed!) Take the Cornell Lab’s online course on Courtship and Rivalry to learn just how weird these birds are—and how much they have in common with familiar ones in your own backyard. For a preview of the course, visit birds.cornell.edu/courses. The next course begins February 17.
Ornithologists’ Meeting Begins with the Question of Bird Flight
San Diego is the place for ornithologists to be this week, as a joint meeting gets underway for the Cooper Ornithological Society, American Ornithologists’ Union, and Society of Canadian Ornithologists. Living Bird editor Tim Gallagher just sent in a blog post from the scene, describing Monday’s plenary talk by the University of Montana’s Ken Dial. Over the past decade, Dial and his collaborators have proposed a surprising new theory about how birds first began to fly. Read more.
Can’t get enough bird info?
Explore www.AllAboutBirds.org.
Photo credits: Eastern Bluebird by Glenda Simmons, GBBC photo contest winner 2009; iPhoniscoped photos by Charles Eldermire; Jon Erickson recording White-tailed Tropicbirds, courtesy of Jon Erickson; American Crows by Ross Michaels; Superb Bird-of-Paradise by Edwin Scholes, III; White-crowned Sparrow in sidebar by Red-Star.
A Valentine’s Gift for Bird Lovers
Do you know someone who loves birds? Send a Valentine’s present that enriches their enjoyment of bird watching: A gift membership in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Members receive our beautiful Living Bird magazine, informative BirdScope newsletter, and discounts on courses and citizen-science projects. It’s a meaningful gift that supports your loved one’s passion for bird watching and for helping in the study and protection of birds.
More Ways to Get Involved:
1. While you’re waiting for spring, help us sort and tag our 8 million archived NestCam images. Participants have already tagged more than 1 million images. Visit CamClickr.
2. Look out for Rusty Blackbirds! Their numbers have plummeted by 88-98% over the last few decades. Visit our web page to learn which states are in the Rusty Blackbird’s range, and report your sightings in the Rusty Blackbird Blitz.
3. Thanks to the generosity of bird photographers everywhere, the Birdshare Flickr group has surpassed more than 30,000 images! We feature many of these images on our websites. Add your photos or enjoy the abundance of beautiful bird photos at Birdshare.
Your support of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology helps us solve critical problems facing birds and other wildlife by using the best science and technology–and by inspiring people of all ages and backgrounds to care about and protect the planet. Please join as a member or make a donation to support our mission. Copyright © 2010
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, Ithaca NY 14850
Questions or Comments?
Call us toll-free at (800) 843-BIRD (2473)
Birding Tips, Information & News
