Lesser Goldfinches in Sycamore Canyon on the slopes of the Santa Rita Mountains near Tucson, AZ January 2010
Last year for the 2010 Great Backyard Bird Count I was in living in Tucson, AZ. Then I had Lesser Goldfinches on many of my bird lists! Now I am in Massachusetts and birding in snow! Gus and I are getting ready to head out and see what we can find! It is already 37 degrees F and should warm into the high 50’s. The snow is melting everywhere but there is so much that it is going to take awhile.
If you have never participated in the GBBC now is a great time to start. counting birds is simple and all the instructions are on the website. As a GBBC Participant you can be a citizen Scientist and help track winter bird populations. It is a fun way to be involved. On the GBBC website is a cool interactive map which shows the bird counts across the USA as they come in. You can count fro as little as 15 minutes on one day or in several locations on all four days. You choose your level of participation. And don’t be afraid to enter a count of zero if you count birds in a location and you do not see any birds. The scientists want to know where the birds aren’t as well as where they are.
So, Get out there and get counting! My first birds of the day are:
- Black-capped chickadee 2
- Tufted Titmouse 2
- White-breasted Nuthatch 1
- Northern Cardinal 1
Great Backyard Bird Count Main Page
Glad you are getting some nice weather and you can be outside comfortably! I'll be returning to Massachusetts the end of March, so leave some birds for me to find! (And keep the temperatures turned up!!) ~karen
ReplyDeleteHappy counting Kathie. You'll find birds wherever you go.
ReplyDeleteJust did a lunchtime walk along the Jordan River in Utah and submitted both an eBird and a GBBC checklist for 18 cool species!
ReplyDeleteHi Kathie, I just dropped in from Ruth's Body, Soul and Inspiration blog and enjoyed the visit. The foldfinches are so colorful and I have several daily on our thistle sack. I'm going to follow the link to the GBBC; right now there's SO many "unwelcome visitors" - grackles, starlings, blackbirds that devour the seed as fast as its replenished. However, I have male-female cardinals, juncos, sparrows, nuthatches, bluejays and a few others in between. I am searching for a used D90 (see recent post) and would be very interested in how you enjoy yours and what lenses you are using with it. Please feel free to stop into our blog for a visit. I have posted bird photos there also.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thefrogandpenguinn.blogspot.com. And I will be returning to re-visit your blog as well. GREAT captures!
I hope you have a great day counting, Kathie! I am doing the GBBC count too.
ReplyDeleteOne..two three four five..little birdies
ReplyDeletesix seven eight little birdies
I am counting too :)
KaHolly, I am sure there will be plenty of birds here when you return, probably more than there are now. Wish I could keep the temperature up for you but today we were 30 degrees colder than yesterday with high gusty winds! Brrrrr! I hope to see you soon!
ReplyDeleteGaelyn, I sure did and I finally have 2 new stories to tell!
Robert, that's awesome! I looked it up on the GBBC State Tallies room. I think I found your count!
Beatrice, rare or common, the GBBC wants to know where ALL the birds are, so count away! Gus and I use both the D80 and D90. He uses the 18-200mm lens almost exclusively. I use a 70-300mm zoom with VR Reduction for most of my bird phtography and an 18-70mm lens for other purposes. We like them both. Lots of settings to learn. I would say weight is an issue when you are hiking around with the thing but still find it managable most of the time. I love the SLR feature compared to other point and shoot digital cameras, but I have little experience with others. My husband is the one who did all the research on them.
EileeninMD, so glad to hear that you are!
Dawn, you are just too cute!