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The 2021 Great Backyard Bird Count

By SCOTT RANDO

Posted 2/10/21

We have been having some somewhat significant snowstorms after a quiet start to winter. Even though you may have been stuck in the house in the midst of the storm, you likely had some birds at your …

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river talk

The 2021 Great Backyard Bird Count

RR photo by Scott Rando

What looks like a small choir practicing is a small flock of brown-headed cowbirds. They like open fields and yards; if your yard is large enough to raise livestock, you may see this species around. Cowbirds are “Brood Parasites.” They do not build a nest of their own. Instead, they take over the nests of other species and proceed to raise their own young. Cowbirds will come to feeders.

RR photo by Scott Rando

Mourning doves are commonly seen and heard in the region year-round. They readily come to feeders and prefer to feed on the ground; if food isn’t spread on the ground already, they will wait for other birds to scatter seed from the feeder in their feeding effort. Mourning doves store food in their crop. When they have had their fill, they fly off to the safety of a branch and digest their meal.

RR photo by Scott Rando

You may spot a hawk or another raptor, even if you’re only watching from your window during the GBBC. In fact, species like Cooper’s hawk are frequently seen near feeders hoping to take a feeder bird. Red-tailed hawks sometimes come close to feeders looking for a squirrel that might be sharing seed on the ground with mourning doves. Both species are shown in the image; the red-tailed hawk is on the left. If your ventures take you near cliffs or mountain tops during the GBBC, you may see some raptors interacting and riding the mountain (or orographic) lift.

Posted Wednesday, February 10, 2021 2:42 pm

By SCOTT RANDO

There’s a birding event, and you don’t even have to leave the house if you don’t want to venture outdoors. If you can look out your window and count the birds you see for at least 15 minutes, you can participate in the 24th Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), which begins on Friday, February 12 and ends on Monday, February 15.

As the event’s sponsor, the National Audubon Society, explains: “The Great Backyard Bird Count is a free, fun and easy event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of bird populations. Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the four-day event and report their sightings online at www.birdcount.org.”

The GBBC can be done from your own backyard watching birds on the feeders or surrounding trees, but you can also bird at your favorite birding location or while on a hike. If you are out in the field, your results can be entered by smartphone, or if you wish, you can record your birds in a notebook and enter them on your home computer later.

This is a good activity to get the family involved in. Even beginning birders can get help with bird identification via the below web page. The more diverse the experience levels are, the better. You can get instructions, checklists and helpful hints from www.birdcount.org.