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"Count and be Counted": 10th Great Backyard Bird Count to Take Place this Weekend
Putnam Highlands Audubon Society (PHAS) cordially invites you to join the tens of thousands of North American birdwatchers in this important citizen scientist event. Some 75% of all counters are not Audubon members. So, even if you're not a PHAS member, join the count and be counted in 2007. Your participation is valuable because the more data gathered for our locale, the more that can be understood regarding the status of our birds in winter and whether they need special help. On a larger scale, the continent-wide data collected by the GBBC reveals changes in numbers, timing, and patterns of migrations, expansions of areas of winter residency, and the unexpected oddball visitor, all correlated with local and regional weather.
The GBBC is a citizen-scientist event hosted by National Audubon Society and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and is sponsored in part by Wild Birds Unlimited.
Carolyn Smith, who resides in Putnam Valley and is President of PHAS, thinks Dr. John Fitzpatrick, Director of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology got it just right when he said "This project has become a major source of scientific information about North American bird populations....It is a classic example of the vital role citizens and the Internet now play in understanding our planet."
It's easy: you pick the day(s): any time from Friday, 2/16 through Monday, 2/19 (1, 2, 3 or 4 days) You pick the place: backyard, balcony, schoolyard, park, riverfront; it doesn't have to be the same place each day. You pick how much countingtime: 15 minutes or more. No commitment, no guilt: if you plan to count 4 days but only count 2, that's fine No special skills: all ages and skill levels are welcome No fee or registration Online data submission and tracking
All You Do Is Get Checklist - Before 2/16, print out the local checklist from
www.birdsource.org/gbbc
and follow the instructions, which are simple. Enjoy the results as maps and lists are continually updated at the site
Past-president of PHAS, Nancy P Durr, relates that the 2006 GBBC produced 60,616 checklists documenting 623 species with 7,590,882 birds counted (!) and that this year there will be contests, i.e., locality awards for the most checklists, greatest number of species, highest number of birds, and a photo contest where your digital photo of something extraordinary might be posted in the GBBC gallery.
Some counters (even PHAS members) just watch their feeders with a more scientific eye than usual. Others make the GBBC even more fun by inviting someone to join them on a walk, having friends over for a Come-and-Count Pizza Party, or teaching a child/grandchild the pleasures of watching backyard/ feeder birds while improving counting and list-making skills.
Haldane Elementary School teacher and PHAS member, Barbara Conley, reminds other teachers that this is a great opportunity to charm, educate, and otherwise engage your students. She refers teachers to the excellent educator resources from Mississippi Audubon at www.msaudubon.org/GBBC/ classroom.php
Check out the Master Website for the GBBC,
www.birdsource.org/gbbc,
to be inspired by the valuable results obtained by last year's counters, view the photo gallery, print out your checklist, and get ready for citizenscience fun this holiday weekend."
Smith and Durr of Putnam Highlands Audubon encourage all people who love birds to Count and Be Counted in this annual North American census. Durr emphasizes that you don't have to be a 'birder' or even a PHAS member to help make the 2007 GBBC the biggest, most valuable citizen-science bird event yet."
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