Join The Great Backyard Bird Count

Bird lovers and nature fans throughout North America are invited to join tens of thousands of everyday bird watchers for the 12th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) on February 13 through Febrauy 16, 2009. A joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, this free event is an opportunity for families , students and people of all ages to discover the wonders of nature in backyards, school yards, local parks and, at the same time, to make an important contribution to conservation. Participants count birds and report their sightings online at: www.birdcount.org.

A Great Blue Heron investigates a decorative wooden parrot at the home of Guy and Rebecca Caron in Goffstown.

Anyone can take part in this project, from novice bird waters to experts, by counting birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the event dates and reporting their sightings online at www.birdcount.org. Participants can also explore what birds others are finding in their backyards, whether in their own neighborhood or thousands of miles away. Additional online resources include tips to help identify birds, a photo gallery and special materials for educators.

The data these "citizen scientists" collect helps researchers understand bird population trends, information that is critical for effective conservation. Their efforts enable everyone to see what would otherwise be impossible. This includes a comprehensive picture of where birds are in late winter and how their numbers and distribution compare with previous years. In 2008, participants submitted more than 85,000 checklists.

"The GBBC has become a vital link in the arsenal of continent-wide bird monitoring projects," said Cornell Lab of Ornithology Director, John Fitzpatrick. "With more than a decade of data now in hand, the GBBC has documented the fine-grained details of late winter bird distributions better than any project in history, including some truly striking changes just over the past decade."

Each year, in addition to entering their tallies, participants submit thousands of digital images for the GBBC photo contest. Many are featured in the popular online gallery. Participants in the 2009 count are also invited to upload their bird videos to You Tuble. Some will also be featured on the GBBC website. Readers can visit: www.birdcount.org to learn more.

Businesses, schools, nature clubs, Scout troops and other community organizations interested in the GBBC can contact the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at: (800) 843-2473 or Audubon at www.citizenscience@audubon.org. or call them at (215) 355-9588, Extension 16.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a nonprofit membership institution interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research, education and citizen science focused on birds.

Bob Harris can be reached via e-mail at: outwriter2@aol.com

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DISCLAIMER:  The opinions expressed by Mr. Harris are not necessarily those of the Goffstown Residents Association or its members

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