Recounting the Great Backyard Bird Count
Did you participate in this annual, global ritual of citizen science?
Every year from February 17-20, hundreds of thousands of people around the world take at least fifteen minutes out of their day to catalogue every bird they hear and see. As folks login to ebird.org, their count totals and species types are populated in real time on a world map for all to see. This immense project, The Great Backyard Bird Count, is co-run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada.
The Great Backyard Bird Count helps scientists and lay-people better understand bird population health, helping to ensure we can continue to enjoy our feathered friends for years to come. I had not participated before, but set aside some time this year. After some cloudy and rainy days, the sun was out and the weather was that tempting false-spring that lures so many outside. It was certainly pleasant, though you would be still a bit chilly if you stood in the shade.
Fifteen minutes morphed into an hour and, as the sun started going down, it was time to head home. I did not see a ton of birds, but it was still very enjoyable. Among those birds I found were a typical nearly two-dozen House Sparrows, one male Northern Cardinal, at least a couple of American Crows, a White-breasted Nuthatch, and a hawk or two that I could not identify without a better lens.
This time, I also finally got around to using the Merlin Bird ID app, which allows you to record your surrounding bird calls and use AI to identify which ones are near you. The app found a Purple Finch, a White-throated Sparrow, and possibly a Red-breasted Nuthatch (it seemed to ID both a Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatch simultaneously). All of this was pretty neat, especially since I had never seen any of these birds before. Alas, I was unable to actually see and photograph them—but it was nice to know they were close at hand.
The trick to the Merlin Bird ID app is to have enough storage space on your phone. A few years ago, I downloaded the app but then didn’t have enough room to download the Bird Packs I wanted (each pack has the recordings for a specific region that the app needs to compare your own recordings to). The Bird Packs are also important because they contain field notes, including basic info and photos to aid in your birding.
Have you participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count or used the Merlin Bird ID app? What has your experience been? Your fellow readers want to know, so please send your stories and photos if you’d like me to share them!
Until next (Bird!) time,
Grover
Nice pictures John! I am going to have my students count the kinds and amounts of birds we have at our school feeder for 15 minutes. I will let you know what we discover!