On the weekend of February 13-16, my bird-watching friend and I will be down at the river with our binoculars and field lists. Along with hundreds of thousands of other bird enthusiasts around the world, we will be participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count.
The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is an annual event where citizen scientists count birds in their local areas and submit their sightings to a global database. It was initiated in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. Since then, the yearly observations contributed by observers have helped scientists more effectively map bird populations; their increases or decreases, as well as expanding or shrinking ranges. Last year, over 800,000 volunteers participated, registering 8,078 species.
According to the National Audubon Society webpage, "Each checklist submitted during the GBBC helps researchers at Audubon, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Birds Canada learn more about how birds are doing, and how to protect them and the environment we share."
Our local efforts this year will establish a baseline of birds in Bryson-Hesperia. In subsequent years, we hope to follow the ebb and flow of bird populations in our area. Beyond the usual suspects—quail, scrub jay, junco, Anna's hummingbird, red-tailed hawk, woodpeckers, and towhees—we're hoping to see a few migrating guests. February is an ideal time because it occurs before the spring migration.
Monterey County is part of the Pacific Flyway, a migratory route for billions of birds, extending from Alaska to South America. While many of Monterey County's migrating birds are shorebirds, the Santa Lucia range hosts raptors like bald and golden eagles, warblers, hermit thrushes, and wintering hawks. One of my most exciting observations was a flock of white pelicans over Lake Nacimiento. White pelicans are huge, with a wingspan of about 9 feet; very impressive when viewed up close.
If you would like to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count, all you have to do is observe birds for at least 15 minutes at least once during the four days (February 13-16). The easiest way to report your sightings is to use the Merlin Bird ID mobile app on a smartphone. The app is free and easy to use.
As the weekend progresses, you can watch entries coming in from around the world on a bird sightings map on the GBBC website, https://www.birdcount.org/. You can also share your photos of birds on the same site. Your photo will become a part of the Macaulay Library, the world’s premier scientific archive of natural history.
For more information on how to participate, visit birdcount.org
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