Tag: GBBC

23rd Annual Great Backyard Bird Count

It’s that time of year again! The 23rd Annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is this weekend, Friday, February 14, through Monday, February 19, 2020.

During this weekend, volunteers from around the world count the birds they see for at least 15 minutes, on one or more days of the count and then enter their checklists at birdcount.org. It can be as simple as looking out your window, or going out to your favorite birding spot and report on what you see.

White-breasted nuthatch at my new Squirrel Buster Peanut + feeder from Brome. Filled with shelled peanuts it’s a great feeder for attracting nuthatches and woodpeckers.

Why does this matter?

There was a recent study in the journal Science last fall that described the decline in the overall number of North American birds by 29% since 1970. Birds also face a number of issues that certainly could affect their future numbers. Citizen science projects like the GBBC give scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society valuable information on where the birds are, how their numbers might be changing overall or regionally, and how they may be adjusting to new habitats. You can learn more about the GBBC at https://gbbc.birdcount.org.

Wondering what the #1 reported bird is in the U.S.?

Most years it’s been the Northern Cardinal, a favorite at my feeders. I have this Squirrel Buster Standard Squirrel-proof Bird Feeder from Brome with perches perfect for cardinals right outside the kitchen window. I fill it with striped sunflower seeds which have a thicker shell than black-oiled sunflower seeds. House sparrows and house finches can’t really eat them, but are just fine for the cardinals. Makes dishwashing much more entertaining watching these beautiful birds.

What did I report this morning in my 15 min of watching my feeders in the backyard?

  • 1 Northern Cardinal (female)
  • 1 White-breasted nuthatch
  • 3 Black-capped chickadees
  • 2 Juncoes
  • 6 House sparrows
  • 4 House finches
  • 1 Downy woodpecker
  • 1 squirrel – no, I didn’t really report it, but it was there eating the crumbs off the ground so I’ll count it.

Too bad there wasn’t anything unusual today, but happy to have anything in addition to the ever present and obnoxious house sparrows and house finches.

Need help identifying what you see? Check out these mobile apps, these online resources, or order my favorite bird book for beginner to intermediate birders, Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification.

Interested in what everyone else is seeing? On the GBBC website you can explore real-time maps and charts that show what others are reporting.  Be sure to check out the Explore a Region tool to see what everyone else is seeing in your area. Want to have your own checklist specific to your area? Check this tool out.

I did my part!

You can get your own certificate, just follow this link.

Want to help count birds all year round? You can keep counting throughout the year with eBird, which uses the same system as the Great Backyard Bird Count to collect, store, and display data any time, all the time. I love this tool to see what birds others are seeing (and where) when I’m out and about.

Happy Birding! Hope you see something interesting, but even if you don’t, know you’ve made a difference for science. Let me know what you saw this weekend!

BTW, these Brome feeders really do keep out the squirrels! This guy tried a few times and has since given up.

Bird Count Time

It’s that time of year again! The 22nd Annual Great Backyard Bird Count is this weekend, Friday, February 15, through Monday, February 18, 2019.

This is a wonderful citizen science project that helps researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society learn more about how birds are doing, and how to protect them and the environment we share.

peanut feeder

It can be as simple as looking out your window for as little as 15 min, or go out to your favorite birding spot and report on what you see. Every report is important to create a worldwide snapshot of where all the birds are at one moment. Scientists use this information to investigate how weather and climate change influence bird populations, why some birds like winter finches appear in large numbers during some years but not others, how the timing of birds’ migrations compare with past years, how are bird diseases, such as West Nile virus, affecting birds in different regions and have there been changes in bird diversity in cities versus suburban, rural, and natural areas?

Once you’ve counted your birds, you can log your sightings online at birdcount.org. This morning I counted 2 red-breasted nuthatches, 1 downy woodpecker, 4 house finches, 6 house sparrows and 1 female cardinal. I’ll report again tomorrow morning and hopefully one of my unusual visitors like the Red-bellied Woodpecker or Coopers Hawk decides to visit.

Need help identifying what you see? Check out these mobile apps, these online resources, or order my favorite bird book for beginner to intermediate birders, Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification.

This is a male cardinal from a few days ago. He was just frozen there at the feeder with the striped sunflowers in his beak. Not sure what he was doing, but he sat like this probably for a minute or so.

In the past, I generally didn’t have red-breasted nuthatches this time of year. They’d come through on migration for a couple of weeks and then move on elsewhere. This is exactly the type of data they are looking for.

squirrel proof peanut bird feeder

Interested in what everyone else is seeing? On the GBBC website you can explore real-time maps and charts that show what others are reporting.  Be sure to check out the Explore a Region tool to see what everyone else is seeing in your area. Want to have your own checklist specific to your area? Check this tool out.

Want to help count birds all year round? You can keep counting throughout the year with eBird, which uses the same system as the Great Backyard Bird Count to collect, store, and display data any time, all the time. I love this tool to see what birds others are seeing (and where) when I’m out and about.

I did my part 😊

You can get your own certificate, just follow this link.

Happy Birding! Hope you see something interesting, but even if you don’t, know you’ve made a difference for science.

Great Backyard Bird Count 2017

Great Backyard Bird Count
February 17-20, 2017

Cardinal

Since 1998, birders of all kinds have come together for a four day bird count in February. Counting birds at the same time every year provides a snapshot into the overall health of bird populations around the world. It can also help scientists learn more about such things as

  • Will the weather and climate change influence bird populations?
  • How will the timing of this year’s birds’ migrations compare with past years?
  •  How are bird diseases, such as West Nile virus, affecting birds in different regions?
  • What kinds of differences in bird diversity are apparent in cities versus suburban, rural, and natural areas?  Have they changed?

Chickadee

Years ago as a service project, my Girl Scout Troop participated in this event. It was really fun teaching the girls about what they were possibly going to see in their backyards, and introducing them to thinking a little more about their natural surroundings. The girls loved it!

Downy Woodpecker

It’s super easy to participate. Register online and then simply tally the numbers and kinds of birds you see for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count.  You can count from any location, any time of day, anywhere in the world!

2017 GBBC Poster with Allen's HummingbirdTo get more information and register your observations, go to the GBBC site.

Are you participating? Did you see anything unusual?

Need help identifying what you see? Here’s a few of my favorite birding books:

You can even get lists of birds seen specifically in your area from the GBBC website. This is a great way to narrow down what you are trying to identify.

This winter I’ve been seeing a Cooper’s Hawk on my feeder pole. I hope he shows up while I’m counting!

Cooper's hawk

This project is a joint venture between the Audubon Society, The Cornell Lab,  and Bird Studies Canada. It is also made possible by support by Wild Birds Unlimited and the National Science Foundation.

Photos by Peggy and Stephi