Great Backyard Bird Count Feb. 15-18 It’s time again for backyard birders to do their bit for science by recording and reporting the number and kinds of birds they see over the four days of February 15-18. It’s the fifth year of the annual project conducted by the Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology, sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited. The Great backyard Bird Count (GBBC) asks everyone with an interest in birds - families, individuals, classrooms, community groups - to count the birds they see in backyards, schoolyards, local parks, nature centers, and even at the office. Reports are made over the Internet at BirdSource <www.birdsource.org>, a multimedia, interactive Web site developed by Cornell and Audubon. The BirdSource site also includes pages about individual species, including images, calls and the conservation status of threatened species. Complete details about how to accurately count birds and make the report are found on the Web site. Results from the count are updated hourly in the form of animated maps and colorful graphics. Participants will be able to see almost immediately how their observations fit into the continent-wide perspective. Findings from previous years also are available at the site, including the Top Ten lists. The Great Backyard Bird Count has been collecting data about the vast majority of North American birds since 1998. The purpose of the count is to build a continent-wide index to help researchers keep tabs on the distribution and abundance of bird populations over time. In its five-year history, more than 100,000 people have participated in the count. According to June Summers, president of the Genesee Valley Audubon Society, “There has always been a great deal of local interest in participating in the GBBC; local birders have contributed steadily to ‘citizen science’ projects over the years.” For more information about local birding events or to sign up for a “Basics of Birding” course with the Genesee Valley Audubon Society, call June Summers at 585 865-6047. |
