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
