The Great Backyard Bird Count is Almost Here

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. The annual four-day event engages bird watchers in counting birds. Participants count birds for a little as 15 minutes, or as long as they want during each day of the event. The counts are entered and tallied to create a real-time snapshot of where birds are.

This year hallmarks the 16th annual bird count and the first international snapshot of avian populations. Traditionally checklists were accepted only from North America and Hawaii, but now you can participate from anywhere in the world.

Scientists can learn a lot from knowing where birds are. Bird populations are in constant flux. No single scientist or group of scientists could possibly collect and document the movements and distribution of the almost 1,000 bird species found across North America and Hawaii, let alone the 10,000 species found throughout the world.

Data collected by the GBBC can be viewed by anyone with internet access. Participants can explore data from their home town, state, or the entire continent. They can compare data from the current year with those from past counts. They can view top ten lists of the most numerous birds, the most frequently reported birds, as well as which regions reported the most species.

Check out some of my images from previous Backyard Bird Counts:

Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)

Del Rey Lagoon Park

Playa Del Rey, CaliforniaFebruary 19th, 2012

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve

Huntington Beach, California

February 21st, 2011

American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana)

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve

Huntington Beach, California

February 21st, 2011

A Curious Squirrel at the Park

Sciurus niger

Del Rey Lagoon Park

Playa Del Rey, California

February 19th, 2011

After a successful day of counting birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count, we were sitting in the park when this curious fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) came toward us. It was very tame and I suspect was used to getting snacks from passersby. I was able to get in quite close to the squirrel and take several photos of  before it scurried up a nearby tree.

The fox squirrel (S. niger) is actually not native to Southern California. Historically the squirrel's range was the Eastern United States, where it inhabited the interface of the deciduous forests and the prairies. Today it can be found as a common inhabitant of urban and suburban areas throughout the Eastern United States and has been introduced to California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. 

According to Julie L. King (2004), the fox squirrel was introduced to Los Angeles around 1904. The story goes that residents of the Sawtelle Veterans' Home brought several of these squirrels from the Mississippi Valley to their Veterans' Home. These squirrels subsequently escaped captivity or were purposely set free. Over the last 100 years, their population grown and their range has expanded east to San Dimas, north into the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valley, west toward Oxnard, and South as far as Newport Beach. Scientists are concerned that this expansion may be displacing the native western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus). 

below is a bonus image of this curious little squirrel.

American Wigeon at Kenneth Hahn Park

Anas americana

Kenneth Hahn State Recreational Area, California

February 14th, 2010

I photographed this American Wigeon during the Great Backyard Bird Count at Kenneth Hahn State Recreational Area. This duck is easily distinguishable from other ducks by its cream to white colored forehead and crown and the brilliant green patch extending from behind the eye to the nape. The "bald" look of this duck has earned it the nickname baldpate.

If you've never been to Kenneth Hahn State Recreational Area, I highly suggest making a trip. It is located off La Cienega in Baldwin Hills. There are over seven miles of trails, picnic areas and a duck pond. Parking near the pond and heading across the main drive will take you to the Olympic trail, which takes you straight up into some beautiful chaparral where you can observe native wildlife and get some amazing views of Los Angeles. The pond has a population of domesticated ducks, but with careful observation you can often spot native species as well.

Great Egret Taking Flight

Great Egret Taking Flight

February 15th, 2009

I caught this Egret taking flight early one Sunday morning during the Great Backyard Bird Count. I met up with a few students and one of their families to count birds near Marine Del Rey. I spent several hours, well okay about half the day, counting watching birds at the marina and later at the Ballona Wetlands. The weather was absolutely amazing and made for a great day, for the birds.