Bird counts involve children in citizen science projects where a greater community contributes to the data used by scientists to understand bird behavior and more. The Great Backyard Bird Count is happening now and counting can take place through Monday, February 15th, so there is still time for your students to participate.
This annual four-day event is led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, with Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada and sponsorship from Wild Birds Unlimited. Gathering data over many years makes them more meaningful. The shortest length of observation that can be submitted is just the right amount of time for young children—15 minutes! And, you do not have to be outside to count. Counting from a window is perfectly acceptable and “Your counting always counts!” Visit the Great Backyard Bird Count at www.birdsource.org/gbbc/ and learn how your students can contribute data.
I’ll let you know what I see tomorrow. There are plenty of Mourning Doves, House Sparrows, Blue Jays, Northern Cardinals, and Black-capped Chickadees around even with all the snow we’ve had in the last weeks.
Peggy
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My feeders were full of goldfinches today, with cardinals coming in second — submitted today’s count a few minutes ago! Unfortunately, the water beyond my house is frozen, so no waterfowl to report.
Mary, I envy you your water view! Unlike at Mary’s, the goldfinches here moved on after eating all the coneflower seeds. Our feeder mix must not appeal to them.
What I saw:
1 Mourning Dove,
1 Blue Jay (heard it down the street),
1 Carolina Wren,
1 Song Sparrow,
8 Common Grackles flying overhead, and
2 House Sparrows
I did try doing the count earlier in the morning from indoors but only saw a Mourning dove and a Carolina wren. It was like tasting food without being able to smell it. Observing outside had other challenges: the neighbors shoveling snow (got to use the highest level of snow on the reporting form!), the snow covering on the bushes hiding the birds roosting in their usual spot, and the dog next door bounding into their yard and barking, plus clouds covered the sun. Maybe that is why the chickadees and cardinals didn’t make an appearance. Sometimes a hawk or falcon is perched in a tree nearby keeps the other birds aways but I didn’t see any, and the Blue jay was not giving alarm.
The Great Backyard Bird Count continues through Monday!
Quite a few more bird species in the yard today, possibly due to the sunshine and earlier hour:
2 Mourning doves
2 Blue Jays
1 American Crow
3 Carolina Chickadees
2 White-breasted Nuthatches
2 Carolina Wrens
1 American Robin
2 Song Sparrows
2 Dark-eyed Juncos
1 Northern Cardinal
8 House Sparrows
Listing birds always reminds me of my father reciting Edward Lear’s poem:
There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said, ‘It is just as I feared!
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard!’
(See more at http://www.nonsenselit.org/Lear/BoN/bon010.html ; some are a little harsh for young children.)
I hope to interest my students do a daily bird count for a week or so (for our own use) outdoors, once the weather warms up. But first some of this snow has to melt so we can get back into school!