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One bird, two bird, red bird, blue bird PDF Print E-mail
Written by Heather Kraus   
Friday, 17 February 2012 17:56

Fill up the feeders. Brush up on tricky bird identification. Prepare to tally.

It’s time for the Great Backyard Bird Count!

Each February the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, Bird Studies Canada, and most importantly, the public participants partner to make the international event a success. This year, citizen scientists across the United States and Canada will go into their own backyards from February 17-20 to record how many birds of various species they see. Scientists can then use the data to track the year-to-year changes in bird populations.

Kellogg Bird Sanctuary recently hosted an informational program about the Great Backyard Bird Count to prepare anyone interested in participating. A few highlights include:

  • Anyone can participate - beginner or expert, child or adult
  • Count birds for at least 15 minutes during one of the four days.
  • Record the highest number of each species seen together at one time.
  • Register your findings online at www.BirdCount.org.

The Count has grown in popularity since it was introduced in 1998, when fewer than 12,000 checklists were submitted. Last year, over 92,000 checklists were submitted – with 2,728 coming from Michigan. Maybe this year we can even make it into the top ten participating states. Michigan was only about 200 checklists away from beating number ten, Washington, in 2011! But we still have a way to go to beat New York, the number one state, where 5,817 checklists were entered.

What’s so great about the Great Backyard Bird Count is that the data isn’t just accessible to scientists. Anyone curious about birds can explore the results. Compile a list of local species or create animated maps to see how bird populations fluctuate over the years.

So be a citizen scientist. Starting Friday, get outside and count some birds!

feeder_birds

White-breasted Nuthatch and Black-capped Chickadde. Two species that may be seen during the Great Backyard Bird Count

Fill up the feeders. Brush up on tricky bird identification. Prepare to tally.

It’s time for the Great Backyard Bird Count!

Each February the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, Bird Studies Canada, and most importantly, the public participants partner to make the international event a success. This year, citizen scientists across the United States and Canada will go into their own backyards from February 17-20 to record how many birds of various species they see. Scientists can then use the data to track the year-to-year changes in bird populations.

Kellogg Bird Sanctuary recently hosted an informational program about the Great Backyard Bird Count to prepare anyone interested in participating. A few highlights include:

· Anyone can participate - beginner or expert, child or adult

· Count birds for at least 15 minutes during one of the four days.

· Record the highest number of each species seen together at one time.

· Register your findings online at www.BirdCount.org.

The Count has grown in popularity since it was introduced in 1998, when fewer than 12,000 checklists were submitted. Last year, over 92,000 checklists were submitted – with 2,728 coming from Michigan. Maybe this year we can even make it into the top ten participating states. Michigan was only about 200 checklists away from beating number ten, Washington, in 2011! But we still have a way to go to beat New York, the number one state, where 5,817 checklists were entered.

What’s so great about the Great Backyard Bird Count is that the data isn’t just accessible to scientists. Anyone curious about birds can explore the results. Compile a list of local species or create animated maps to see how bird populations fluctuate over the years.

So be a citizen scientist. Starting Friday, get outside and count some birds!