Gearing up for bird counting

The Great Backyard Bird Count will take place February 18 through 21 and on Tuesday, January 18 from 7 to 8 p.m. details will be given on how to participate in the international event. This event will help everyone prepare for a trip to the backyard, which can be anywhere you happen to be - home, school yard, a local park, the balcony of a high rise apartment or a wildlife refuge. The Great Backyard Bird Count reminds us that North America's birds consider the whole continent to be one great big backyard.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is a terrific way to nurture children's curiosity about birds and nature.

The event will be held at Braddock Bay Park in Greece, on East Manitou Road, north of the Lake Ontario Parkway. The lodge is wheelchair accessible with adjacent parking. Suggested donations of $1 per person or $5 maximum per family is welcomed. For information, call 585-392-5432 or e-mail salmonvalley@att.net.

What is "The Great Backyard Bird Count?"
During the weekend of February 18 through 21, people across North America are encouraged to count the birds in their backyards and report them over the Internet, as part of the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), one of the world's largest volunteer efforts of its kind. The GBBC allows people of all ages and backgrounds to celebrate birds and provide vital information about North America's birds, such as helping researchers better understand bird population numbers and distribution across the continent.

This is the eighth year of the event, developed and managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, with sponsorship from Wild Birds Unlimited store owners. People are encouraged to enjoy the birds around them by going out into the "Great Backyard" during any or all of the count days and keeping track of the highest numbers of each bird species they see.