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.
