While you are sitting in your home watching the big game or catching up on laundry, birds are diligently searching for food and trying to keep warm this winter. We tend to be preoccupied in our daily activities after the holidays and miss some of nature’s beauty.
2013 GBBC Photo Contest Winner-First Place: Overall
Snowy Owl by Diane McAllister, Nevada
Photo taken in British Columbia
February is around the corner and it will soon be time for The Great Backyard Bird Count. “The Great Backyard Bird Count is 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.” The GBBC is a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society with partner Bird Studies Canada. All are welcome to participate and it only takes a small amount of time. Participants tally the number of individual birds of each species they see during their count period. Then they enter these numbers on the GBBC website. You can watch for birds and collect data in your backyard, park, or even during your lunch break. The information can help scientists learn more about what is happening to our bird populations.
The 2014 GBBC will take place Friday, February 14, through Monday, February 17. They recently posted a video of 10 species of birds that appeared on the most checklists during the 2013 GBBC. For you viewing pleasure, I have posted it below. Head over to their site to find out more and consider participating.