T
thinkstockhe results of the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) provide a snapshot of the whereabouts of more than 600 bird species.
Anyone can participate in this free event and no registration is needed. Watch and count birds for at least 15 minutes on any day of the count, February 17-20. Enter your results at www.birdcount.org, where you can watch as the tallies grow across the continent. The four-day count typically records more than 10 million observations.
The 2011 GBBC brought in more than 92,000 bird checklists submitted by participants from across the United States and Canada. Altogether, bird watchers identified 596 species with 11.4 million bird observations.
Although it’s called the Great “Backyard” Bird Count, the count extends well beyond backyards. Lots of participants choose to head for national parks, nature centers, urban parks, nature trails, or nearby sanctuaries. For 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.
The stylized graphic above depicts some of the birds that could be seen on a winter day — from left, cardinal, red-winged blackbird, purple finch, goldfinch, cedar waxwing, blue jay, red headed woodpecker and in center on tree trunk, a nuthatch. Other common winter’s day sightings could include chickadees, juncos, titmice, hawks, geese, crows and starlings.
