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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Up for the count

While the American robin is the most common bird found in North America during the Great American Bird Count, the robin's rarer cousin, the varied thrush, above, generates more excitement when it shows up in lowland yards. (Rich Landers / The Spokesman-Review)
Rich Landers Outdoors editor
While the American robin is the most common bird found in North America during the Great American Bird Count, the robin's rarer cousin, the varied thrush, above, generates more excitement when it shows up in lowland yards. (Rich Landers / The Spokesman-Review)

Some of the most colorful entertainment in the world is flying into local back yards.

To help point this out, the National Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology once again are inviting everyone with a birding field guide, binoculars and a computer to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count starting Friday through next Sunday.

Combining the eyes of a legion of amateur birdwatchers with the instant data-building power of the Internet, the annual event gives scientists a “snapshot” of bird life across North America.

Beyond the science, it’s good fun for individuals, families and groups.

Volunteer observers count the highest number of each species they see during at least 15 minutes on one or more of the count days, and submit each count online. Instructions, checklists and helpful hints for identifying birds can be found at the birdcount Web site, which will provide a real-time picture of results, enabling participants to compare their tallies with others as checklists pour in from throughout the U.S. and Canada.

“There has never been a more detailed snapshot of a continental bird-distribution profile in history,” said John Fitzpatrick, Cornell Ornithology Lab director.

Last year, American robins were by far the most numerous birds counted on the continent. The most frequently reported birds were the northern cardinal, dark-eyed junco and mourning dove.

Scientists analyze this data in different ways. Robins may not be the most numerous birds in America, but perhaps the most commonly seen birds in yards and parks, or perhaps they simply are easiest for everyone to identify, experts say.

Still, the counts are useful, and most participants are keen observers.

California and Texas reported the most species, 333, but Washington reported 216 species, the sixth most among the states. Yakima’s warmer river valley environment helped it rank among the top 10 cities in North American reporting the most birds, with 88,534.

In the Coeur d’Alene area, 20 checklisters found 49 species, the most numerous of which were Canada geese.

Spokane’s 40 checklisters found 50 species with robins being by far the most common. California quail were a distant second.

“Each tally helps us learn more about how our North American birds are doing and what that says about the health and the future of our environment,” said Tom Bancroft, Chief Science Officer for Audubon.

This year, fledgling filmmakers will also be able to upload video of their backyard birds on YouTube and tag it “Great Backyard Bird Count.” The best clips will be posted on the birdcount.org Web site.

Still photographers can get in on the fun by submitting their digital images for the online photo gallery and contest.

In 2007, Great Backyard Bird Count participants broke records for both the number of birds reported, and the number of checklists. Participants sent in 81,203 checklists tallying 11,082,387 birds of 613 species.