Can you spot this erratic bird during this weekend’s annual backyard bird watch?
An annual event that asks people to record the birds they observe in their backyards, local parks and other natural areas begins this weekend. It starts Friday and lasts four days until Monday, Feb. 15.
The Great Backyard Bird Count, an international event, sponsors an unprecedented annual collection of bird data that assists scientists in monitoring the health of species, changes in populations and the effects of climate change.
“What an absolutely great year for a backyard bird count and I say that because it’s not a great time for birds,” said Bob Gress, former director of the Great Plains Nature Center and a Wichita birder. “If it was warmer, the counts would be far less. With the arctic blast, birds are going to be looking for places where they can get a lot of food at once and that will be bird feeders.”
In the winter, when food is scarce, birds will flock to bird feeders and studies have shown that birds with access to bird feeders are more likely to survive cold weather, as they can more easily pack on the extra weight they need to survive.
In Wichita, participants should keep a special eye out for Pine Siskins. A few lucky viewers may see them in their yards, according to Gress.
These very small brown and yellow streaked songbirds are nomadic and their range is rather erratic each year as they search the continent to find seeds. They love evergreen trees and will sometimes hang upside down to pick at seeds and eat.
Viewers may also see Purple Finches, whose males have a raspberry pink head, and other winter birds like Cardinals, Blue Jays and various types of sparrows.
Several online tools are available for participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count, which can be done alone or as a social activity.
Participants log their observations online, which will appear in eBird, one of the largest international databases, and is used by scientific professionals for conservation and peer reviewed research. Currently 8,635 Kansans are registered on eBird, and more than 450 species of bird have been observed in the state. An email address is required to sign up to confirm reports, and data must be entered online.
“The websites are easy to use, just record data, your name and location. It’s just a matter of logging in and reporting,” Gress said. If you observe an unusual bird, Gress recommends taking a picture of it so it can be confirmed by an eBird expert.
Already, observation lists are rolling in from around the world as birders note their observations. Last year, more than 27 million birds were counted in 194 countries. The 268,000 participants identified almost 7,000 species of birds, more than half of all species.
“A lot of people do it and have fun doing it,” Gress said. “I do it as well. I just go to my windows four or five times, see what’s out there and report back, or walk around in my backyard a couple times.”
The Great Backyard Bird Count was the first online citizen-science project and was started in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. For more information go to www.birdcount.org.
This story was originally published February 11, 2021 at 5:01 AM.
