Time to dust off the bins and get out the field guides: The annual avian census known as the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) this year takes place Feb. 17 through 20.
"Keeping track of bird numbers is a way of keeping track of how a species is doing," said Pat Leonard, GBBC coordinator for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
If you wonder how many birds you'll see smack dab in the middle of winter, when you'd think most birds would have packed their bags and flown south, not to worry. Go with the flow. "No bit of information is insignificant," Leonard said. "The presence or absence [of a species] is an important thing that these counts measure."
All the information becomes part of a database used by conservationists. The data is important in the long haul, when patterns or changes can be seen over time on global as well as continental levels, Leonard said.
Counts also help indicate what's going on in the environment, and how well a species is doing and whether it needs help to survive as a species.
For example, sandpipers--shore-dwellers known as "waders"--"are in trouble primarily because of habitat loss--people overrunning where they live," Leonard said. "Species in trouble can bounce back when we give them specific attention."
The bald eagle is one example of a species that bounced back after being endangered, Leonard said.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society launched the GBBC in 1998. It was the first citizen-scientist project to collect data about wild birds.
As participants enter results during the count, the data provides a near-real-time snapshot of which species are where.
Last year, more than 160,000 people submitted data. Between 1998 and 2012, participants came mostly from the United States and Canada. Since 2013, they've come from all over the world, Leonard said. Event leaders are the Cornell Lab and Audubon, along with Bird Studies Canada and other international partners.The Count is powered by eBird.
If you think taking time to count feathered friends in your ornamental shrub in the middle of winter is for the birds, well, it really is for the birds. It's for the planet, too.
The GBBC gets people's feet wet in doing citizen science, Leonard said. "It turns people into a mechanism that can monitor change in the planet. It gets people to observe what's going on around them."
You don't have to venture out into the cold to count the birds. You can sit inside at a window, with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee, and with the cat or dog on your lap. Complete instructions are on the GBBC website, but, basically, all you have to do is set aside at least 15 minutes on one day during the Count, and count how many birds you see, and how many of each species you see. Then enter your results onto the website.
You can count on more than one day, too, and for more than 15 minutes. Some participants count in groups of friends and families. Said Leonard, "People say they have fun. They seem to feel it's a way for them to do something for birds."
Counters who are also photographers might want to keep an eye out for a winning shot. The GBBC includes a contest for pictures taken of birds in the wild during the count. Details are on the GBBC website.
For more information about the Great Backyard Bird Count or to take part, go to the Count's website, gbbc.birdcount.org.
"Keeping track of bird numbers is a way of keeping track of how a species is doing," said Pat Leonard, GBBC coordinator for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
If you wonder how many birds you'll see smack dab in the middle of winter, when you'd think most birds would have packed their bags and flown south, not to worry. Go with the flow. "No bit of information is insignificant," Leonard said. "The presence or absence [of a species] is an important thing that these counts measure."
All the information becomes part of a database used by conservationists. The data is important in the long haul, when patterns or changes can be seen over time on global as well as continental levels, Leonard said.
Counts also help indicate what's going on in the environment, and how well a species is doing and whether it needs help to survive as a species.
For example, sandpipers--shore-dwellers known as "waders"--"are in trouble primarily because of habitat loss--people overrunning where they live," Leonard said. "Species in trouble can bounce back when we give them specific attention."
The bald eagle is one example of a species that bounced back after being endangered, Leonard said.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society launched the GBBC in 1998. It was the first citizen-scientist project to collect data about wild birds.
As participants enter results during the count, the data provides a near-real-time snapshot of which species are where.
Last year, more than 160,000 people submitted data. Between 1998 and 2012, participants came mostly from the United States and Canada. Since 2013, they've come from all over the world, Leonard said. Event leaders are the Cornell Lab and Audubon, along with Bird Studies Canada and other international partners.The Count is powered by eBird.
If you think taking time to count feathered friends in your ornamental shrub in the middle of winter is for the birds, well, it really is for the birds. It's for the planet, too.
The GBBC gets people's feet wet in doing citizen science, Leonard said. "It turns people into a mechanism that can monitor change in the planet. It gets people to observe what's going on around them."
You don't have to venture out into the cold to count the birds. You can sit inside at a window, with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee, and with the cat or dog on your lap. Complete instructions are on the GBBC website, but, basically, all you have to do is set aside at least 15 minutes on one day during the Count, and count how many birds you see, and how many of each species you see. Then enter your results onto the website.
You can count on more than one day, too, and for more than 15 minutes. Some participants count in groups of friends and families. Said Leonard, "People say they have fun. They seem to feel it's a way for them to do something for birds."
Counters who are also photographers might want to keep an eye out for a winning shot. The GBBC includes a contest for pictures taken of birds in the wild during the count. Details are on the GBBC website.
For more information about the Great Backyard Bird Count or to take part, go to the Count's website, gbbc.birdcount.org.
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| This portrait of an American Robin by Shayna Marchese, New Jersey, tied for 4th Overall in the 2016 GBBC Photo Contest. /Photo courtesy Cornell Lab of Ornithology |
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