American Goldfinch (Photo: Submitted by Nature Conservancy of Canada)
If you are looking for something to do this weekend, get out and count the birds!
The 24th annual Great Backyard Bird count runs from February 12 to 15th this year.
It’s very simple, bird watchers from around the globe, count the number of birds they see during at least a 15 minute period, on one or more days of the count.
Conservation Biologist with the Nature Conservancy of Canada Allison Patrick says there are a number of birds that are commonly spotted in New Brunswick at this time of year, “Black-capped chickadees, red-breasted and white-breasted nuthatches, American goldfinches, downy and hairy woodpeckers may be seen around backyard feeders. Several species that visit only in the winter, such as pine grosbeaks, bohemian waxwings and common redpolls, may also be seen. If you can safely view a body of water from your backyard or neighbourhood, keep an eye out for mallards, American black ducks, common goldeneyes and common mergansers. Finally, look for bald eagles, a variety of gulls and American crows along river shores or soaring over your home.”
The count is a snapshot of what is happening with birds in terms of population, migration and range. Last year, participants in over 100 countries identified about 7,000 different bird species.
“It’ not just limited to experienced birders. Any level of birder can participate. During these four days, if people can count birds for as little as 15 minutes, and they can then send their data into the ebird database,” Patrick says.
The count can be done through your window, or if you decide to take a walk in the park, “Stopping from time to time, maybe for thirty seconds at a time, just to listen. This time of year, it really is using the ear is the almost the best way of detecting the birds,” Patrick says.
The event is administered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society and Birds Canada.
For instructions and a step-by-step guide, visit birdcount.org/participate. Patrick says that thanks to the data that participants submit to the Cornell lab of Ornithology’s eBird platform, it adds to species counts from around the world.
NCC says the GBBC is also a time to think about the alarming decline in bird populations and their habitats here in Canada and around the world. In the 2019 State of Canada’s Birds report, Canada lost 40 to 60 per cent of shorebirds, grassland birds and aerial insectivores (birds that feed on insects while flying, such as swallows).
A North American study revealed that nearly three billion birds have disappeared since 1970.
