Watchers Wanted For Backyard Tally Continental Bird Count Will Begin On Saturday

The keen eyesight of birdwatchers and the blinding speed of the Internet will paint a picture of North America’s bird distribution during the Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb. 18-21.

The National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are spreading the word, continent-wide, to families, classrooms, community groups, and individuals of all ages and skill levels.

Scientists say a vast collection of these citizen volunteers can help document the abundance and distribution of North America’s bird populations at the start of the first spring migration of the new millennium.

Participants will count the numbers and kinds of birds seen in their back yards, local parks, schoolyards, or other areas during any or all of the four count days.

All sightings are entered via the Internet at BirdSource http://www.birdsource.org an interactive, state-of-the-art Web site developed by the Cornell Lab and National Audubon.

Don’t have Internet access? No problem. Wild Birds Unlimited, 6005 N. Division in Spokane, plans to have information on the count as well a computer available for people who need to file results.

As quickly as the reports arrive, the Birdsource computers add the data to maps and charts on the Web site.

“By participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count, people from subtropical Florida and Hawaii to Arctic Canada and Alaska will help us understand better the effects of changing weather and landscape on our birds’ abundance and distribution patterns,” says Dr. Frank Gill, Audubon’s senior vice president for science.

Last year, 42,000 participants saw large numbers of American Robins wintering farther north than usual. Further research suggested a correlation between robin distribution and absence of snow.

The data entry forms at the GBBC Web site will ask participants to provide information about snow cover in their area. How shifts in distribution tie in with large-scale weather patterns, such as El Nio, La Nia, and global warming, has yet to be determined.

Cornell Lab and Audubon researchers emphasize that every observation of every bird seen is important, no matter how common the species. Chickadees, jays, doves, even the ubiquitous starling and House Sparrow - the GBBC is collecting sightings of them all. The most common birds often demonstrate the most important patterns.

“Many birds that are now rare or showing population declines were once common,” said Dr. John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab.

To participate, tally the highest number of each species seen at one time so as not to count the same birds more than once. Then log on to the Web site and click on the “Great Backyard Bird Count” button.

Information must be submitted by Feb. 24.

Participation in the count is free, and no registration is necessary.

This sidebar appeared with the story: SOURCES Internet birding

Results of the Great Backyard Bird Count can be filed or viewed on the Internet at www.birdsource.org. Birders without Internet access can participate through Wild Birds Unlimited, 6005 N. Division in Spokane, through Feb. 24.