Northeast Ohio Outdoors

Great Backyard Bird Count

By Lou Yuhasz on February 8th, 2009

HARRISBURG
– Pennsylvania Game Commission officials are encouraging bird and
nature fans throughout the state to join tens of thousands of everyday
North American bird watchers for the 12th annual Great Backyard Bird
Count (GBBC), Feb. 13-16.  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, schoolyards, and local
parks, and, at the same time, make an important contribution to
conservation. Participants count birds and report their sightings
online at www.birdcount.org.

 

“These
type of activities provide the citizen science with an opportunity to
help wildlife,” said Doug Gross, Game Commission biologist.  “Anyone
who can identify even a few species can contribute to the information
wildlife managers use to decide where to invest limited resources in
land conservation, as well as habitat improvement or protection.

 

“Additionally,
this is a great opportunity for beginning bird watchers to hone their
skills, and for all participants to enjoy the winter landscape.  This year, there has been a dramatic invasion of northern finches into Pennsylvania.  Pine
siskins, white-winged crossbills and red crossbills have been observed
at many locations in the state, especially where there are good cone
crops.  GBBC is a great way for many people to document this phenomenon for posterity.”

 

Participants
are asked to count birds for at least 15 minutes on at least one day of
the event and reporting their sightings online at www.birdcount.org. Additional online resources include tips to help identify birds, a photo gallery, and special materials for educators. 

 

“After
submitting your report to the Great Backyard Bird Count website, you
also may contribute your bird sightings by registering at
Pennsylvania’s eBird website,” Gross said.  “The Game
Commission was the first state wildlife agency to host and manage an
‘eBird’ website, which is dedicated to helping birders throughout North
America and the world record their bird observations and improve our
understanding of the use of bird habitat and seasonal bird activities.”

 

To submit sightings, go to the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) and click on “Pennsylvania eBird” icon in the left-hand column of the homepage.

 

The
data collected helps Game Commission and other wildlife researchers
understand the importance of particular locations to birds and bird
population trends, information that is critical for effective
conservation. Their efforts enable everyone to see what would otherwise
be impossible: 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.

 

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
also are invited to upload their bird videos to YouTube; some also will
be featured on the GBBC web site. 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 (outside the U.S., call (607) 254-2473), or Audubon at
citizenscience@audubon.org or (215) 355-9588, ext 16.  

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