The Great Backyard Bird Count…..
…an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds.
This is without a doubt the easiest citizen science project that any age can participate in. This year’s count runs from February 15-18 and within those dates, for fifteen minutes or more, count the birds you see. A separate list for each place is all that is required and the data can be entered online.
In February 2007, citizen scientists across the United States and Canada counted more than 11 million birds, and tallied 616 species, for the tenth annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). The tenth annual GBBC was a record-breaking count, with more than 80,000 checklists submitted, which exceeded the previous record of 61,000 checklists in 2000 by 33 percent! – Audubon.org
The UK also partakes in a similar study, the Big Garden Birdwatch and they use a great term; “armchair scientists“. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) exists to conserve wild birds and the environment and we appreciate all the work they do there.
So, if you want to start getting involved in citizen science, this is the project for you! It is easy, fun, and builds a map of where the birds are in the country.
Speaking of sightings, this morning a red-shouldered hawk was harassing & chasing a pileated woodpecker all over my neighbor’s yard! It was too frenetic to photograph, unfortunately, but I would never have expected a hawk to try to take on a pileated woodpecker!
I love the GBBC and look forward to it each year. It is what got me listing and recording bird data. It got me out activily looking for birds, instead of waiting for them to come into my yard! What a great program!