Great Backyard Bird Count in the news

The annual Presidents Day weekend census of backyard birds will start on Friday, Feb. 18, but it's already in the news from Maine to Arizona. The Great Backyard Bird Count -- organized by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society and Bird Studies Canada -- gives casual and expert birdwatchers alike the chance to contribute data and create a snapshot of winter bird populations in two nations.

All the details appear at Great Backyard Bird Count, including a PDF of instructions, a video that describes the available prizes -- Yes! There are prizes! -- and the photo galleries generated by the GBBC photo contest.

2010 Overall Winner: American Robin by Nick Saunders, courtesy of GBBC

White-winged Crossbill Feeding Technique

Have you perused or subscribed to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's YouTube channel? It offers an incredible selection of videos related to birds and birding.

For instance, check out this video that illustrates the feeding technique used by White-winged Crossbills to extract seeds from white spruce trees. The crossbill item is one of a handful in the Lab's "How Nature Works" videos.

You can learn more about White-winged Crossbills, including their song and call, by visiting Cornell's All About Birds website. It's quite a treasure trove.

Photo courtesy of Birding Business News

Count me in the corvid camp

For years, corvids -- usually American Crows -- have held my attention. I've heard the complaints about how noisy they are (Yes, Mom, they are rather loud.) but prefer not to focus on their volume. Instead, I admire their intelligence and dapper appearance.


When I learned in 2002 about Betty (above), the New Caledonian Crow at Oxford University, and her ability to make tools -- not just use tools but make them (video) -- I felt thrilled. While driving through the desert to and from Las Vegas, I might get distracted by the huge, shaggy Common Ravens.

Luckily, a murder of crows likes to hang out next to the office. While at my desk, I can look through the window and watch their antics. Let's call it an effort to reduce eye strain by not looking at the computer monitor for a couple minutes.

Even though it's early February, I'm thinking about what the crows will be up to in the next couple months -- and Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers a great primer called "Watching your neighborhood crows."

Cornell wants to give you money

The Celebrate Urban Birds project at Cornell Lab of Ornithology seeks applications for mini-grants of $250 to $500. Eligible recipients include museums, afterschool programs, libraries, community centers and local organizations that want to create neighborhood events involving art, gardening, science, community service or other cultural activities.


The call for applications says:

If you are planning an event, you're invited to apply for a grant at www.CelebrateUrbanBirds.org. Organizations working with underserved communities are strongly encouraged to apply. No experience with birds is required.

Further details on the website reveal that qualified applicants should plan to:
* participate in a training videoconference
* hold a Celebrate Urban Birds event in 2010
* introduce the public/youth to birds
* collect Celebrate Urban Birds data and inspire others to observe birds and collect data
* distribute Celebrate Urban Birds kits (with posters, seeds for planting, and more)
* integrate the arts
* integrate gardening/habitat creation
* get people outside
* submit a short final report and share pictures with photo releases.

The application deadline is Monday, Feb. 15. Winners will be announced on March 1.

Winter birds' Survival Challenge

The Celebrate Urban Birds project at Cornell Lab of Ornithology wants to know how birds survive winter in your neighborhood and invites you to participate in the Survival Challenge. Your entries could garner you one of various prizes, such as a binocular, a birdfeeder, a birdsong calendar, a book or greeting cards.

Take a photo, create some artwork, shoot video, write a story or a poem, or create a sculpture. Get creative! Just show how birds get along in winter in your community. It could be a place, a behavior, a human-bird relationship, or anything you can spot!

Photo courtesy of Bonny McTague at Pictou Library in Nova Scotia, Canada
Nova Scotia’s climate boasts robust winters and lavish snowfalls.
On average in January temperatures are in the -5 degrees Celsius rangewith regular snowfalls, some blizzards and a few times each winter,we can experience some snowfalls of more that 25cm.The sign reads: “Please Remember to Feed the Wild Birds this Winter.”

To enter the challenge:
* Email your photo, art, or video entry to urbanbirds@cornell.edu. Links are acceptable for videos.
* Write "Survival_YourFirstName_LastName_YourState/Country" in the subject line.
* Include your name and mailing address in the email.
* Tell us why you submitted the entry to the Survival contest. What’s the story behind your image?
* Agree to the Release of your entry for Cornell's future use.

By entering, you agree that you are granting the Cornell Lab of Ornithology a royalty-free, perpetual license to use the images or video for any purpose, including but not limited to publications, websites, and commercial products benefiting our education, outreach, and research programs.

Send your entry before Feb. 15!

Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb. 12-15

Show your love for birds during Valentine's Day weekend by participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count! The citizen-science project involves as little as 15 minutes on one day or as many minutes as you like on Feb. 12th through 15th.


Organized by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society and Bird Studies Canada, the 13th annual free event entails counting birds in your back yard or at local parks or refuges. Then you just fill in an online checklist of observed species and their numbers.

Why would you do this?

Scientists and bird enthusiasts can learn a lot by knowing where the birds are. Bird populations are dynamic; they are constantly in flux. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to document the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time.

We need your help. Make sure the birds from your community are well represented in the count. It doesn't matter whether you report the 5 species coming to your backyard feeder or the 75 species you see during a day's outing to a wildlife refuge.

If you take pictures of the birds during the Great Backyard Bird Count, consider entering them in the photo contest. You might win one of many prizes!

Eastern Bluebird courtesy of Katya Porter in North Carolina, a winner in the 2009 photo contest

2009 Great Backyard Bird Count photo contest winners

Last year, the photo contest during the Great Backyard Bird Count -- organized by Cornell Lab of Ornithology -- generated more than 6,000 entries. Now we can enjoy the winning images.

The contest encompasses winners in six categories: overall, behavior, composition, group, habitat and people. Each category has a first-, second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-place winners as well as nine to 26 honorable mentions. That's a feast for our eyes!

Lynne Marsho of Illinois won first place overall with this Great Blue Heron. Congratulations, Lynne!


Have you signed up for the 2010 Great Backyard Bird Count? It's scheduled for Feb. 12-15. You can learn more details in this video.

If you enjoy photo contests, consider WildBird's annual competition. For details about the rules and prizes, look in the March/April 2010 issue, available in early February. You can see previous winners here.

Cornell contest: A Murder of Crows & Other Spooky Bird Tales

Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Celebrate Urban Birds project invites you to participate in its contest this month. "A Murder of Crows and Other Spooky Bird Tales" accepts entries until Oct. 31, and entries can be photos, stories and videos sent via e-mail.

Birds can be downright spooky sometimes. A European Starling flies at your head, thousands of crows roost in a downtown park, a pigeon takes over your balcony. With Halloween just a few weeks away, we want to see and hear spooky things about birds! We'll try to explain what's really going on with their puzzling behavior.

Go outside and take a photo, do a painting, write a story or a poem, or even shoot a video showing crows, pigeons, starlings, an owl, or any kind of bird doing something strange.

You can download a flyer to encourage more participation. You'll find more details -- such as the terms of agreement and the many prizes including optics, books and CDs -- here.

Remember to send your entries via e-mail by Oct. 31. Good luck!