Stand up and be counted. Actually, if you’re not a bird could you please sit down? From February 15 to the 18th, 2008, bird enthusiasts from all over Canada and the United States will spend 15 minutes a day for the next four days, counting and recording bird species found in their own back yard, local park or favourite natural area.

Sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the information gathered during the count is then added to the 36 million other bird observation records, housed in the Avian Knowledge Network, where they are accessed by scientists from around the world.

Last year over 11 million birds were counted, and organizers are hoping to attract even more counters this year. The information being gathered helps scientists track the ups and downs of the bird population as well as their migratory movements. The count is done in February so scientists can determine how the birds are surviving the winter and where they are located before the springtime migration begins in March.

This is a great activity for the young and old. If you’re like me, and are new to bird watching, you can click here to download a Checklist for your area. The hardest part is identifying the birds, so a field guide is recommended or click on the online bird guide which contains over 600 species.

If you are not unable to participate in the four day event, you can still record your bird-observations online by going to eBird.

We’re actually going to cheat a little bit with our count. I have installed a bird feeder in the hopes that we will be able to attract more birds and make it easier for us to record and identify the ones we spot.

Tomorrow we will examine bird feeders, their placement and the types of food used to attract different species of birds.

Cheers,

Julie

This entry was posted on Monday, January 21st, 2008 at 6:00 am and is filed under Environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.