This is going to be the lamest form they’ve ever received. That was my thought as I participated in my first Great Backyard Bird Count several years ago.
More than half an hour into my count I had found only a few tufted titmice and a lone mockingbird. Sure I was headed toward the water where I was sure to pick up a duck species or two, but I had expected to see more than titmice and mockingbirds by this point. I was, after all, doing a count. Didn’t the birds know this? Didn’t they want to be counted? Why weren’t they lining up?
Oh well, I thought, the people who run the Count want to know what I see, and if a few birds is all I see, then that’s what I’ll submit.
Then I heard something overhead. It sounded very busy, but also very subtle. I was a much less experienced birder at the time, so I struggled to find the source of the noise, despite it happening all around me.
When I found it, I was amazed. It was a mixed flock of American robins and cedar waxwings. The waxwings were the more exciting species, but it was the robins that I still remember. Strength in numbers, as the saying goes. There were dozens upon dozens of robins. I couldn’t even count them there were so many of them surrounding me, stripping berries off the trees, vines, and bushes. Since I was doing a count, I gave it my best shot. Forty robins? No more like fifty. I finally settled on sixty, even though even that may have been low.
This count is looking up, I thought. When I made it to the water — which was mostly unfrozen — I found hooded mergansers, common mergansers, ring-necked ducks, and mallards. OK, so not a bad count after all.
I proudly submitted my numbers via the Internet and made a mental note to visit the same place next year for the Great Backyard Bird Count.
When that next year finally came around, it was a repeat of the first year — only without the robins, waxwings and waterfowl (the water was frozen solid.) The surprises never happened. I not-so-proudly submitted my results of three or four common species.
Such is life with the Great Backyard Bird Count, a project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. It takes place in the middle of each February, which explains why the birds found can be unpredictable.
The truth is, the people who analyze the numbers turned in by birders don’t give a hoot who counted the most species or who found the most rare birds. They are looking for a snapshot of the total bird population — where they are, how many there are, are they there year after year?
Advanced birding skills and reporting “Rare Bird Alert” type species pale in comparison to reliable data turned in each year. The project is somewhat misnamed because the count does not have to take place in a backyard. It certainly can take place in a backyard — yes, that backyard can be viewed from the comfort of your own home’s interior — but it can also take place in woods, fields, waters and parks ... wherever you like to look for birds.
And, unlike the annual Christmas Bird Count, the GBBC takes place over four days, so pick the day that works for you. Yes, I said, “you.” Why not monitor what’s going on at your feeders during one or more of those days? Why not take a walk at your favorite park and jot down what birds you see then submit the species and numbers online? It can take half an hour of your time, or it can take four days of your time. Whatever you want to do. And it’s free.
This year’s Count takes place from Thursday, Feb. 13, through Sunday, Feb. 16. Since it takes place on both weekdays and weekends, it’s an ideal project for teachers to do with their students, or parents to do with their children. For teachers, you can schedule a short field trip or simply walk around your school grounds, then submit the results. It’s an easy and fun learning experience for the students.
Any teachers interested in participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count may call Norwalk resident Larry Flynn, a local GBBC ambassador, at (203) 354-8218. If you don’t have access to the Internet, simply write down the species and numbers of birds seen and Larry can submit the information for you.
The information submitted by participants help scientists see not only how bird populations are faring overall, but also where birds are showing up year after year. Cardinals, mockingbirds and titmice are relative newcomers to New England, having expanded their range northward over the last several decades. Carolina wrens and red-bellied woodpeckers are in a similar situation now, seemingly pushing their range northward ever so slowly. Data collected from counts such as this help monitor these population shifts and expansions.
What about the opposite direction? Are any birds moving southward? What about the red-breasted nuthatch? They are seen in southern New England fairly often in the winter. Are they expanding their range or is there some factor (or factors) that makes them visit the southern part of our region some years and not others? Submit your data and help answer these questions and many more.
To participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count, visit www.birdcount.org. It doesn’t cost anything to participate and all levels of birdwatchers are welcome.
Oh, and don’t forget to share your sightings with me, too.

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