Many of you may have heard of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and/or Great Backyard Bird Count. Some of you may have even participated. If so, then don’t worry about reading this. Just go sharpen a couple of pencils so you can be ready for this year’s count.
For the rest of you, following the links above will tell you much more and more accurate information than I can, but I can say, having participated in this event for several years, that it’s easy and fun. You’ll be part of a very large worldwide event and you may not even have to leave the comfort of your blog.
My wife and I like to sit in the backyard, have a cup of coffee and look for every bird we can. You can count for as little as 15 minutes on just one of the days, but it’s pretty easy to do more. And you can even go to different locations over the course of the count which runs February 13-15. Lists of birds that you are likely to see in your area are available on the Bird Count website.
This can be a fun and educational event for adults and kids. After the count is done, you’ll be able to see data showing how many of each species were counted in your area or any other part of the world where people participated. Last year 144,109 checklists were submitted and well over 17 million birds were counted.
While you’re at it, be sure to take a look at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology web site. In case you haven’t been there, it is an amazing resource for the identification of bird species. Along with tons of other good information, there are sounds and/or video of 215 species and these can be really helpful in identifying backyard birds. And of course, be sure to check out the All About Birds Blog!
For anyone with an interest in birds or nature in general, the Great Backyard Bird Count can be a great way to get involved in determining what’s going with bird species these days.
Come on, admit it, haven’t you ever wanted to sit somewhere comfortably enjoying your beverage and try to tick off every last living creature that passed by? Hey it’s for science
Learning To Paint 
Sounds like fun. I’ll check it out.