2015 Great Backyard Bird Count Results

Despite the bitter cold weather, the 2015 Great Backyard Bird Count still had a great round up of data from all around the world.  This year’s results yielded participants from more than 100 countries with 14,265 bird checklists. 5,090 species were logged; this is half the known species in the world, breaking the record logged from last year. Individuals posted results from India, Columbia, Brazil, Malayasia, and all over Canada and The US. The information collected by bird enthusiasts from their backyard feeders to wildlife preserves will help scientists to know how species are expanding and shrinking, and tells us what that means about the changes in our environment.   The goal of the report is to tell us about the health of the environment around us.  Through the tracking of the most common birds, we are able to receive important information about any shifts that may be taking place.

"So those that did venture out, their contributions are really helping us understand how these very cold, very snowy, very windy winters are affecting bird populations and their movements." -Marshall Lliff, Director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

The top ten most popular species reported this year were the Northern Cardinal, the Dark-eyed Junco, the Mourning Dove, the Downy Woodpecker, the Blue Jay, the American Goldfinch, the House Finch, the Tufted Titmouse, the Black-capped Chickadee, and the house Sparrow.  For more participant results and photos, check out this storify post.

At my home, I logged the almost every one of these birds.  It would be sad not to see the usual birds outside my window, so I hope that through tracking birds every year, we will be able to show the effects of global warming and take some preventative measures.  Here is a research article talking about some of the reasons Northern bird populations are in decline.  From climate change and loss of habitats to domestic cats, bird populations shrink every year.

Next year’s bird count will once again take place in February, and I hope that you will join in! If you want to join in, but you are not sure how to identify birds, you can use this guide. 

Sources

http://gbbc.birdcount.org/2015-gbbc-summary/

http://michiganradio.org/post/birders-break-records-great-backyard-bird-count

My First Bird Blog! Watching and Tracking Our Feathered Friends

Hello all and welcome to my bird blog, where I will share information on all bird related activities in New England and around the world. I will cover everything from where to find the best birding resources online to some information on bird sounds, feathers, and habits, to ways to attract birds to your yard, and I will throw in some bird sightings! I hope that you will find some useful information here and share with me you birding experiences.

For my first post, I would like to talk about some of the great bird watching and tracking resources out there.  Bird watching is an activity that many people of all ages pursue. It is something I enjoy because of the diversity and great number of birds around us.  Bird watching is a chance to appreciate nature and command a knowledge of the various species around us from their unique sounds to their eating habits and flight patterns. There are a wealth of sites online that are dedicated to providing information on the best places to bird watch and how to bird watch. My go to site for information is the Audubon Society. They have event listings where you can bird with others, guides on the birds you can find in certain areas, and how to locate them based on their colors, feathers and songs. They also have sites specific to each state, so you can find the best bird watching resources in your area.  This is a great place for the beginning or the experienced birder to go to pick out a birding journey either with a group or on their own.

Another activity that birders enjoy is bird tracking.  The Great Backyard Bird Count is a 4 day event, where participants from around the world count the birds that they see for 15 mins each day for one day or for all four days of the count. It happens annually in February, and users submit the counts of the birds that they see in their locations. The count has existed since 1998, and more than 100,000 people participate each year.  Some participants share photos of the birds in the count. Here is a photo of a bluejay from one viewer. 

This count tells us valuable information about birds to help us understand the species and their movement. It helps to understand their populations, how climate change effects them, and what their migration patterns are like. This count provides useful information in the conservation efforts of such a beautiful species.  This is not the only count in existence, there is also a Christmas Bird Count, Project FeederWatch, and eBird, all of which collect important data. Visit the GBBC To explore the results of last year’s count!

Happy birding everyone, and I hope you will find a birding event in your area, or join one of the many bird-tracking initiatives. Until next time take a look at some of the birds that bird enthusiasts are viewing all over the world.