This weekend is for the birds

Posted Feb 16, 2012 By Ray Yurkowski

EMC Lifestyles -Brighton -Natural Heritage Education Leader Lisa McPherson says it's just a happy coincidence there's a hiking event scheduled at Presqu'ile Provincial Park at the same time as the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). On Saturday, from 1 until 4 p.m., it's the NatureWorks Soup Hike: a day of discovery and an opportunity to view birds, ending with a slide show and a hot bowl of soup -served up in a warm setting. There is a small fee and reservations are required. Call 613-475-1688, extension two, for more information or to sign up.

Although, coincidence or not, the 15th annual GBBC takes place this weekend from February 17-20.

According to the web site, "The Great Backyard Bird Count is a four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It's free, fun, and easy -and it helps the birds."

Last year, participants in Canada and the United States submitted more than 92,000 checklists with more than 11 million bird observations reflecting almost 600 species to the GBBC. It was the third year in a row checklists topped 90,000 and new records were set in seven provinces for a new overall Canadian record.

Brighton bird watchers generated only eight surveys identifying 34 species of birds. Better than Trenton (five surveys and 17 species) or Colborne (seven surveys and 18 species), but not what one might expect from an area recognized as one of the birding capitals in the province, thanks to Presqu'ile Park.

In all, Brighton spotters reported 2,863 birds with greater scaup (2,120) topping the list. Some of the more rare finds, with only one sighting each, included the red-breasted merganser, Iceland gull, great black-backed gull, barred owl, boreal chickadee and song sparrow.

London topped the 2011 list in Ontario with 169 checklists identifying 50 species of birds.

Participants can count birds anywhere for as little or as long as they wish during the four-day event. Just tally the highest number of birds of each species seen together at any one time and report the counts by filling out an online checklist at the GBBC web site.

"Scientists and bird enthusiasts can learn a lot by knowing where the birds are," say the GBBC organizers. "Bird populations are dynamic, they are constantly in flux. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to document the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time.

"We need your help. 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."

The data collected by the GBBC maps a picture of how bird populations are changing across the continent year after yeara feat that would be impossible without the help of tens of thousands of participants.

As the count progresses, anyone with Internet access can see what is being reported from their town or anywhere in Canada and the U.S. They can also see how this year's numbers compare with those from previous years as well as having an opportunity to send in photographs of the birds they see.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, with Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada and sponsorship from Wild Birds Unlimited.

Log onto < www.birdcount.org>for more information.