Feature Article - for release the week of  January 27, 2008

Angela Sachson – Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Program

The Great Backyard Bird Count 2008

It’s not often we get a chance to learn something new, have a little fun, and contribute to science at the same time.  It only takes a few minutes.  It’s free.   And you don’t even have to leave home! 

We are talking about the 2008 Backyard Bird Count co-sponsored by the national Audubon Society and Cornell University .  Every year on President’s Day weekend, people count the number of birds who visit their backyard feeders in a time period of 15 minutes or more.  The observer can then enter his or her information at the Great Backyard Bird Count website.  The website also provides tips on how to count, lists of birds in your zip code, and lots of other great information.

HERE’S WHY

Why, you may ask, count birds?  And, why should I count birds?  Can’t the scientists do it?

Well, first, a scientist or team of scientists couldn’t possibly collect the amount of information that many regular folks in many locations can gather.  Last year’s participants turned in 81,000 checklists.  They counted over eleven million birds of 613 different species.  All that was accomplished in just three days!

Scientists can learn a lot by knowing the location of bird species.   Bird populations constantly move and the bird count can document the complex distribution and movements of many species in a very short time.  Bird location and movement may also tell us about changes that can affect us such as climate change.

If you participate, you 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 the 75 species you see during a day's outing to a wildlife refuge.

Some of the questions we can help answer include:   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?

 

Here’s how

1. Visit www.birdcount.org for easy-to-follow instructions, including tips for identifying birds, and to print a checklist for your zip code.

2. Count the birds you see, wherever you choose to count.  Write down the highest number of individual birds you see at one time.  That way you won’t count any bird twice.

3. After at least 15 minutes of watching in one place, report your results online at www.birdcount.org. (You can spend more time observing if you prefer.)

4. You can repeat your count at the same place on each day of the Great Backyard Bird Count. You can also visit other locations and submit separate information for those areas too.

If you do not have a bird feeder you can supply bird feed in any flat, open container.  Even a pie plate on a stump can catch the eye of a snack-hungry bird.  Make sure the feeder is far from squirrel and cat hideouts and jumping-off places.

Read the label on the birdseed for feeding instructions  and start feeding a few days before your bird watch.  Birds have great eyesight but they might not flock to your feeder the minute you fill it!  

Or, Try This

On Saturday, February 16, come to the Okeechobee County Extension Office.  We will have feeders set up in the side yard, plenty of checklists and pencils, and bird identification information. We can count together or you can count on your own.  The feeders will be up from 9a.m. until 1 p.m.  See you there!

For more information about the Great Backyard Bird Count, visit your county extension office or the following sites: 

www.birdcount.org        www.birds.cornell.edu    www.audubon.org

If you need additional information on the bird count, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469.  In Highlands County call 863-402-6540 and in Glades County call 863-946-0244.

Okeechobee residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners from 1 to 3 PM on Tuesday afternoons.

I’ve placed more information on our Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu.  If you need additional information on , please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469.  Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners from 1 to 3 PM on Tuesday afternoons.  GO GATORS!     

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Trade  names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin.  Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida.  Larry A.  Arrington, Dean. Last update: 01/30/2008.  This page is maintained by Dan Culbert