Get ready for the Great Backyard Bird Count!

What is the Great Backyard Bird Count?

The GBBC is a global census of birds found wherever you see them — in your backyard, neighborhood, park or anywhere else you happen to be (including the Wetland Center!). All you have to do is watch birds for 15 minutes or more at least once over the count’s four days (Feb. 13-15), identify the species by sight or sound, and then report them. You can watch a global map light up as species are reported. Find out all about it on the GBBC website.

What will you learn at the workshop?

Ornithologist Blaine Carnes gives you the tools to participate in the GBBC. You’ll learn:

Tips for finding and identifying birds.
How to use the free Merlin Bird ID app to ID and report what you see and hear.
The basics of using the free eBird app to track your bird sightings.
Why bird counts are so important to the health and survival of birds.

When: Saturday, Feb. 7, 9-10:30 a.m.

Cost: FREE with admission.

Age limit: Great for all ages!

Registration: Please register.

Preparation: Bring your smartphone and binoculars (we have a limited number to lend). Dress to go into the field with Blaine!

Meet your instructor:

Blaine Carnes is an ornithologist who has focused on long-term bird monitoring projects since 2008. He has worked with the Institute for Bird Populations and their collaborators on the MAPS and MoSI banding programs in 13 different years, as well as spending two years at the Carnegie Museum’s Powdermill Avian Research Center. Additionally, he has spent time as a team lead at several bird migration study sites and has accumulated almost four years in Central and South America on a variety of ornithological field research. Blaine currently runs a birdmonitoring program with study sites at the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center and Trinity River Audubon Center. This study looks at the number of migratory songbirds that stop at the locations and provides data on the duration of their stay and the speed at which they regain mass after arriving. The information can be used to develop strategies for reducing population declines and maintaining healthy bird populations and to evaluate the effects of habitat management.

Ready, Set, Go for the Great Backyard Bird Count!

Ornithologist Blaine Carnes helps you get ready to do your part. It’s for the love of birds — and it’s free with admission!