Great Backyard Bird Count

 The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is 12 - 15 February 2021. The count is an annual event, sponsored by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Audubon Society, and Birds Canada. I have taken part for several years. The GBBC was launched in 1998 as a citizen science project to capture a snapshot of bird populations.

I block the mornings of these days out well in advance. I usually spend about two hours each of the mornings birding in the local parks and then some time later updating eBird with my findings. However, you can use any period of 15 minutes or more and your yard is fine, so anyone can participate. Last year, over a quarter million people around the world took part, documenting just over 6,900 species of birds.

This is a great activity to do with the kids. Since you're not required to devote a lot of time, if the kids (or your non-birding significant other) get bored, you have still contributed to our knowledge of birds.

The next Lake Arrowhead State Park bird walk occurs during the GBBC, so if you want to go with a group, plan to attend the bird walk on that date. February 13, 8:00 AM. COVID-19 safety requirements will still be in place. Currently, the requirements include no group larger than 10, social distancing, masks, and no sharing of binoculars or field guides. Those requirements may change, so check with the park the day before.

I usually publish the dates I plan to go to the various parks in case someone wants to go with me, but due to COVID-19, I am not doing that this year. However, if you would like to go, you can email me at txbirds@gmail.com--all of the COVID-19 safety requirements will be in effect, however. I plan to bird 8:00 - 10:00 each day, longer on the days I do the Wichita Bluff Nature Park segment and a portion of the Wichita Valley Rail Trail, due to the length of the trail. If I'm having a good day, I sometimes add short stops (15 - 30 minutes) at some local hot spots.

Plan to take part. If you are not already signed up with eBird, you will need to set up an account and become familiar with at least the basics to update your count information.

Good birding!

My Best Birding Buddy

This is Amelia, my granddaughter, and my best birding buddy.  We went to Lake Arrowhead State Park for the monthly bird walk on Saturday, January 9. As you can see, it was a chilly morning, which meant she and I were the only participants that morning. I don't know what it is about Texans, but if the temperature is in the 30's or less, it is very unusual for anyone else to show. The same if it rains. This was unfortunate that Saturday as it was a bright, sunshiny morning with no wind. There was a heavy frost. 

Amelia loves going birdwatching with me, although she is interested in a lot more than birds. She was fascinated with the frost patterns on everything (she is holding some dead leaves she was showing me the lacy frost on) and had a lot of fun breaking off small sheets of ice along the edge of the lake.

We spent about an hour and a half at the park and found 31 species--a good morning. As we were leaving, I stopped at the park headquarters to renew my park pass. The ranger asked Amelia what bird she saw that morning was her favorite. I expected her to say the American Coot because she talked about them a lot while we were walking. But she said the Great Blue Heron. We only saw it for a few seconds before it flew off. But it is an impressive bird. Personally, my best bird of the morning was a Golden-fronted Woodpecker.

Here is a list of the birds seen that morning:

Canada goose, American coot, Green-winged teal, Gadwall, Pied-billed grebe, White pelican, Great blue heron, Greater yellowlegs, Killdeer, Wilson's snipe, Ring-billed gull, Red-tailed hawk, Northern harrier,  Great horned owl, Morning dove, Eurasian collared dove, Golden-fronted woodpecker, Ladder-backed woodpecker, Northern cardinal, Northern mockingbird, Carolina chickadee, Carolina wren, Fox sparrow, White-crowned sparrow, Harris's sparrow, American pipit, American goldfinch, European starling, Meadowlark, Dark-eyed junco, and Red-winged blackbird. We also saw several peeps, but I wasn't able to get a good enough look to identify whether they were western or semipalmated.

Overall, a very good morning. The next bird walk is Saturday, February 13, 2021. This happens to be one of the days for the Great Backyard Bird Count (see an upcoming post). We meet at 8:00 AM at the dump station. The route is a very easy walk of about 1 mile total. There are several COVID-19 safety requirements (which could change, depending upon the circumstances at the time). Group size must be less than 10 (that's not generally a problem). Masks and social distancing are required. Field guides and binoculars cannot be shared. Come on out! 

Good birding!

Starting the New Year Right!

I don't know about you, but I allowed COVID to disrupt my life way too much last year. In some ways, life went on as normal. I am not the most social person in the first place, so staying home more wasn't that difficult. However, I allowed the pandemic to interfere with birding and with sharing the joy of birds with others. And that's a shame. So, I've decided that this year, in 2021, I am going to get back to birdwatching and sharing that with those of you who may still be catching this blog. On the other hand, I have talked to a few people who were not into watching birds who called me at some point during the year to tell me they were very much enjoying watching the birds in their yard during increased time at home. So, perhaps we have some new converts.

Happy New Year! We had some snow last night. As you can see in the pictures, it wasn't a lot and it will all melt today, as our temperatures are supposed to get into the 40's. It's pretty though so I am enjoying it. The other good thing about cold weather and snow is that it brings more birds to the feeders.

I have been working gradually on improving my small yard for birds and pollinators. My neighbors aren't helpful--they all have pretty barren yards. However, my efforts have started paying off. A couple of months ago, I had my very first Carolina Chickadee in my yard. This morning, I started the new year off with a bang--I saw a Spotted Towhee in my yard for the first time, searching in the leaves that my neighbors hate that I refuse to rake. I wasn't able to get a picture before she left, but it was a nice start to the day. Neither of these birds is uncommon in our area, but they haven't visited my yard in the 9 years I have lived here. Progress!

This is a great time of year to plant some perennials in your yard to attract and feed the birds and pollinators in 2021 and for years after.

Good birding!