Great Backyard Bird Count

If you're stuck indoors and wish you could get out to do some birding, not to feel bad. The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is about to happen! For four days, February 15-18, you can count every bird on your feeder.

The GBBC is a partnership between Cornell University's Laboratory of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, and sponsored in part by Wild Birds Unlimited. An annual four-day event 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's free, fun and easy - and it helps the birds.

Participants count birds anywhere for as little or as long as they wish during the four-day period. They tally the highest number of birds of each species seen together at any one time. To report their counts, they fill out an online checklist at http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc.

Participating in the count is simple. Bird-watchers are asked to spend at least 15 minutes in a single spot, recording the largest number of each species seen at any one time. Multiple surveys can be done at different locations. The count starts Friday and ends Monday, but surveys don't have to be submitted for all four days. Bird counters can download lists of species specific to the areas where they live, helping narrow down their choices when identifying birds. Results are entered online.

As the count progresses, anyone with Internet access can explore what is being reported from their own towns or anywhere in the United States and Canada. They can also see how this year's numbers compare with those from previous years. Participants may also send in photographs of the birds they see. A selection of images is posted in the online photo gallery.

Last year, over 7.6 million birds of more than 600 species were tallied in the count, which GBBC participants submitted more than 80,000 checklists, an all-time record for the 10 years of the count.

Scientists and bird enthusiasts can learn a lot by knowing where the birds are because bird populations are dynamic; they are constantly in flux. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to document the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time.

That's where YOU come in. Please make sure the birds from your community are well-represented in the count. It doesn't matter whether you report the five species coming to your backyard feeder or 75 species you see during a day's outing to a wildlife refuge, Fort Rock State Park, Cold Springs Campground or Drake Park.

Your counts can help us answer many questions:

How will this winter's snow and cold temperatures influence bird populations? Where are winter finches and other "irruptive" species that appear in large numbers during some years but not others? How will the timing of birds' migrations compare with past years? How are bird diseases, such as West Nile Virus, affecting birds in different regions? What kinds of differences in bird diversity are apparent in cities versus suburban, rural,and natural areas? Are any birds undergoing worrisome declines that point to the need for conservation attention?

Invest in a good bird identification book. Read the descriptions, because many birds have distinct behaviors.

If you don't have a good pair of binoculars, try to borrow some from a friend. A spotting scope would be nice to have, especially if you're sitting in your house looking at the feeder. A scope also works if you're in a vehicle and can mount it to a window.

The GBBC Web site provides an online link to Cornell University's bird guide. And, as always, there's one sure method of improving your skills: Practice. For help, you can also go to: http://ebird.org/content or http://www.birds.cornell.edu.pfw (Project Feeder Watch).

Residents eager to boost bird numbers and diversity can take steps to make their backyards and neighborhoods more welcoming.

Brush piles of twiggy branches provide birds a place to perch or dive into to avoid prowling cats.