Time for the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)!

One of my favorite birding activities is the Great Backyard Bird Count every February. Birders have several bird count activities, all of which provide data used to monitor population trends.

Basically, participants count birds in any location they wish (yard, local park, etc.) for a minimum of 15 minutes during a 4-day period. This year that is Friday, Feb 13 - Monday, Feb 16. Then you provide the information via Merlin or eBird.  Merlin is probably the app of choice for a new birder; eBird has more functions, but a little more complicated to learn for a newbie. You count every bird you see and you can count as long as you want, just at least 15 minutes.

Our monthly bird outing at Lake Arrowhead State Park on Saturday, Feb 14 will be part of the GBBC. If the weather forecast is accurate, we might get a little wet. We meet in the parking lot near the fishing pier at 8:00 AM. You might arrive a little early in order to stop at the self-pay station, since the office doesn't open until 8:00. We saunter for about 1 - 1.5 hours (depending on the weather and the birds) and cover around a mile. We don't move very fast. We're there to watch birds, not set speed records. The route is paved and level. We do have people come with limited mobility, so don't let physical restrictions put you off.

I will also be birdwatching on the other days as well. Friday at Lucy Park, Sunday at Wichita Bluff, and Monday at Lake Wichita Park.  I may try to slip in a couple of other short observation periods at a few other locations, time permitting. It's a busy weekend already, so it will be a spur of the moment thing.

This is a fun activity to get kids involved. Since you only have to take part for 15 minutes, it isn't a challenge to keep them involved. If you have a budding birder, then you can stretch the activity as long as you want. Instructions for participating are available on the GBBC website.

If you have any questions or would like to participate in one or more of the counts, contact me at txbirds@gmail.com.

Good birding!

Christmas Bird Count

National Archives at College Park - Still Pictures,
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) for the Wichita Falls area is scheduled for December 14. We have a 25-mile circle to complete. We generally break up the circle into 3 sections, each with its own team to count every bird we can find. The team lists are then consolidated and submitted to the Audubon Society. 

The CBC is the longest running citizen science project in the U.S., starting in 1900. On Christmas day of that year, 27 people started the count, in various locations across the country, counting 90 different species. It is now conducted in 20 countries in the western hemisphere.

If I remember correctly, our CBC has be held since 1954.

I'll be starting at 7:00 AM and bird pretty much all day. It is a combination of driving and walking. The other two teams have their own schedule, but are similar to mine. People can also count at their feeders. The data compiler needs to know who is taking part in order to make arrangements to get the data to add to the report. If the weather is so bad that we are unlikely to find many birds or it is unsafe to drive, the count will be rescheduled to the following weekend.

If you would like to take part in this year's CBC, whether for an hour or an entire day, contact me at txbirds@gmail.com.