The Great Backyard Bird Count Begins!

Today is the first day of the Great Backyard Bird Count here in the USA!

 

It requires at least fifteen minutes spent observing birds (tough job but ...) and then a few minutes to record the highest number of a species that you saw at one time.  (Click here for instructions.)

You do need to know the species -- just plain 'sparrow' or 'warbler' isn't enough. (I'm no good at these myself.)
 

And though you may not catch sight of a Lesser Flamingo or a Lily Trotter, much less a Hammerkop or a Black-winged Lory (all courtesy of this site,) who knows what new neighbors you may discover!

 

Great Backyard Bird Count

The Great Backyard Bird Count begins tomorrow --February 13 -- and continues through the 16th. If you have a spare half hour - at least fifteen minutes watching and counting birds and a little more time to record your count -- you can be a part of this rather nifty bit of research.

Complete instructions are at the site linked above. And over on Marta's blog, is a post about the bird count. I'm ready to give it a go!

Two Pine Siskins, one Black-Capped Chickadee

Six wild turkeys

A whole bunch of LBBs (little brown birds) -- probably Juncoes -- no, I believe they're Siskins.

One more Pine Siskin --

or, as my late mother-in-law used to call them when they crowded the prettier Cardinals out of the feeder - '#@&* Suskins!' And then she'd blow an air horn to scare them away. . .


After I speak with Herself this afternoon, I expect to be back with our own Miss Birdie full time. But I'm going to steal that half hour and do the count tomorrow.

And tomorrow I'll let you all know something of how our conversation went and what direction I'm heading.