Grab your binoculars and get your family ready for the Great Backyard Bird Count happening this week
Each February for four days, bird lovers, young and old, connect in a global community science effort to track bird population trends in what’s called the “Great Backyard Bird Count.”
“The GBBC is a global community science event that gets people excited about birding in the winter by creating a winter snapshot of birds,” conservationist and educator Jennifer Murray of Turtleback Environmental Education Center shared. “This data is analyzed by scientists to track population trends.”
This year, the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) begins on Friday, Feb. 16, and ends on Monday, Feb. 19. During these four days, spend as little as 15 minutes each day noticing the birds in a consistent location of your choice. There, you’ll identify and count the birds, then report this information to the scientists via a program and app found on the GBBC website.
Petite North Fork recently got to chat with Jennifer about the bird count and the best ways to get kids involved in this global project, which shouldn’t be much of a push if your kids are anything like mine and can easily stay glued to a window for a half hour while watching the wildlife activity on our birdfeeder.
Q: Why is the Great Backyard Bird Count important?
Jennifer: The GBBC helps people get outdoors and connect to birds, nature, and an entire global community as they discover that “birds are everywhere, all the time, doing fascinating things,” according to the Great Backyard Bird Count project. The GBBC serves as a springboard for people to care, make a difference, create habitats that welcome birds into local landscapes, advocate for bird conservation at the local, state and federal levels, and recognize a kinship with the natural world of which birds are such a beautiful and important part.
Q: What types of birds can we expect to see on the North Fork this time of year?
Jennifer: We have our year-round residents who do not migrate, like cardinals and chickadees, and our winter visitors who migrate south to Long Island from further north, like juncos and loons.
Q: Is any special equipment needed?
Jennifer: No equipment is needed but binoculars help. Or, if you really want to get into it, a spotting scope. I like to teach kids how to use binoculars by making a pair with two toilet paper rolls taped together. This helps kids focus on one object.
Q: Best advice to get kids into bird watching?
Jennifer: Get started in your own backyard! Plant native plants, allow a section of your yard to grow a little wild, set up a bird feeder, buy or borrow a bird identification book, and join a bird-watching hike for beginners. We call it bird-watching, but we also bird by sound, identifying birds by their calls. A great way to learn bird songs is through the Merlin app, which identifies birds by sound — but beware of the mimickers!
Q: Best advice for what kids should not do while bird watching?
Jennifer: Talking loudly will cause birds to move into hiding or quiet down, and moving too fast may cause a birder to miss the opportunities to spot the birds. It is best to bird in small groups and move slowly and quietly to observe the most amount of birds. Walking short distances and staying still for five minutes will increase the number of birds seen and heard.
Q: Where are the best places to bird-watch with kids on the North Fork?
Jennifer: Birds are everywhere. In your own backyard, on the bay, and in local preserves. If you don't have a bird feeder set up, you can visit a nearby preserve with feeders like the Red House at Inlet Pond County Park in Greenport. The feeders are managed by the local Audubon chapter and the screened-in porch doubles as a bird blind. Visit Hallock State Park Preserve where you can borrow a birding backpack (bird guides, binoculars, and more). Even on a cold winter's day, you can spot 13 species of birds within 10 minutes along the start of the blue trail at Hallock State Park. Other good hikes include the yellow trail to the beach where birders can spot wintering diving ducks just offshore, and along Willie's Way on the eastern side of the preserve.
Q: What are some fun bird-watching activities for kids?
Jennifer: Try scavenger hunts such as finding birds by color, finding birds in "zones" like the ground, in a tree, in the sky. For toddlers, I also suggest counting birds, for example, counting the mourning doves on the ground under a feeder or perched in a tree. For older children, try identifying as many different species as possible either at a feeder or at a preserve. These are fun ways to prepare for the Great Backyard Bird Count.
Upcoming local Great Backyard Bird Count events for children and helpful resources
Great Backyard Bird Count at Inlet Pond County Park with North Fork Audubon
Saturday, February 17, from 9:00-11:00 a.m.
Great Backyard Bird Count at Hallock State Park Preserve
Sunday, February 18, all-day
Stop in the visitor center to borrow a bird guide and binoculars
Helpful Resources:
https://www.audubon.org/get-outside/activities/audubon-for-kids
https://www.audubon.org/news/get-know-these-20-common-birds
https://thegroup.org/field-notes/the-groups-steve-biasetti-shares-his-love-of-birds
Merlin Bird ID app
https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/
https://www.birdcount.org/merlin-bird-id-app/
Using Merlin to learn bird songs