Grab Your Binoculars - It's Time for the Great Backyard Bird Count

The existence of diseases like West Nile Virus and changes in our climates due to global warming makes it difficult for scientists to keep track of bird populations. But you can count, can't you?

For the tenth year, the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) will be taking place February 16 - 19, 2007. Whether you are a birder or not, a conservationist or not, a tree-hugger or not, you can help with this effort. All you have to do is count birds at your favorite location for at least fifteen minutes and report your results.

There is no single scientist or even a team of scientists that could possibly garner so much information about birds across the United States and Canada in a four day period. The counts are made possible by the participation of thousands of individuals, all counting birds in their backyards during those days.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is a joint venture led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. This is a great activity for adults, kids, families, beginners and experts alike.

Scientists use this information to track the abundance and distribution of birds. They learn about the movements of species and how trends such as urbanization and shifting food supplies are affecting them.

The GBBC web site has all the details (see Resources). If you need help identifying some of the species you see, check out their online Bird Identification Guide. For most birds, this includes an audio clip of their songs, which might help with the identification.

But have no worries if you can't identify a species. The tally that you enter on the web site can just include the species you do know. If, however, you go to the extra effort to distinguish the hummingbird count from the Blue Jay count, it will certainly be helpful.

Printable Tally Sheets

One of the most helpful things you'll find on the Great Backyard Bird Count web site is a checklist for the birds specific to your area. The printable tally sheets give you a great idea of the species you might see in your area, and each species listing includes a link for more information about that particular bird, including photos, their range and habitat, food, and behavior.

How to Participate

You can help in the Great Backyard Bird Count February 16 through February 19, by spending at least 15 minutes counting as many birds and as many species as you can. During that 15-minute period, tally only the highest count for each species. For example, if you count three Canadian geese, then two leave and four more come during that 15 minutes, you would tally only five Canadian geese for that count.

Count birds at as many places and on as many days as you like-just keep a separate list of counts for each day and/or location.

What's in it for you?

Besides helping the scientists track bird populations, there are also tangible rewards for you, the participant. Drawings will be held for prizes, including:

--8X42 Volex Sidewinder binoculars
--Membership in National Audubon Society
--Bird Songs book

among many others.

There are also prizes for "Most Checklists" and "Best Photos."

See the Great Backyard Bird Count web site for details on the contests and how to participate in the annual count. Last year, participants counted more than 7.5 million birds and 623 species. This year promises to surpass those numbers.