The Great Backyard Bird Count
Photo by Niki/HVNY
What do you see in your backyard?
A countless number of Black-capped Chickadees.
A White-breasted Nuthatch.
A Downy Woodpecker.
A House Finch, I think. Or maybe it’s a Purple Finch?
Three very obese Eastern Gray Squirrels.
A sparrow, of some sort, facing off against a female cardinal, and winning a coveted spot on the bird feeder.
Five crow friends waiting in the dogwood tree after chasing off a Red-tailed Hawk from above our flock of chickens.
These were just some of the visitors to our backyard this morning. And technically, it was all research. Science, if I may. You see, this weekend is the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), a global initiative where citizen scientists like yours truly can help actual, certified scientists associated with the National Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology, understand wild bird patterns and populations with a few simple observations.
To participate in the 2023 Great Backyard Bird Count:
Step 1: Decide where you will watch birds. It could be out your back window, at your favorite park, or on a field trip with a birding group like the Waterman Bird Club.
Step 2: Watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days, from February 17-20, 2023.
Step 3: Identify all the birds you see or hear within your planned time/location and use the best tool for sharing your bird sightings:
If you are a beginning bird admirer and new to bird identification, try using the Merlin Bird ID app to distinguish what birds you are seeing or hearing.
If you have participated in the count before and want to record numbers of birds, try the eBird Mobile app or enter your bird list on the eBird website (if using desktop/laptop).
(Note: If you already contribute to Merlin or eBird, continue what you are doing! All entries over the 4-days count towards GBBC.)
Map: Where to bird in Dutchess County, from the Waterman Bird Club. Click to see the full map.
Webinar: Tips for the GBBC
Wednesday, February 15, 1:00-2:00 p.m Eastern
During a live Q&A session, experts from Audubon, Birds Canada, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology will share their tips for making birdwatching easier and more enjoyable for people of all ages and abilities. Get your questions answered about bird ID, counting birds, and more: Register for the webinar
Call for rare bird alerts:
Before there were websites and Twitter feeds following unique sightings in the sky (no, not that kind of sighting, but scroll down to our News + Notes for a recent report of a strange sighting over the region), you could call a phone number to hear a round-up of rare bird alerts in the area. The “Rare Bird Alert” (RBA) phone system is still around today, and covers New York’s five boroughs, Long Island, Westchester and Rockland, and sometimes parts of Sullivan, Orange, Putnam and Dutchess counties. Updates occur every Friday night with the week's reports from the region. If you'd like to hear it all for yourself, give a call at (212) 979-3070.
What do you see out there? Comment below or email us and we’ll share them in the newsletter.
