Great Backyard Bird Count

The Great Backyard Bird Count is February 18-21 this year (2022). Observations are entered through eBird. It can be quite a bit of fun to build a big weekend bird list.

© Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 66748932 - Song Sparrow; Walton County, Georgia. February 16, 2018.

Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count was the first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time. Now, more than 160,000 people of all ages and walks of life worldwide join the four-day count each February to create an annual snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds. For at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count, simply enter on eBird the numbers and kinds of birds you see. Scientists use information from the Great Backyard Bird Count, along with observations from other citizen-science projects, such as the Christmas Bird Count, Project FeederWatch, and eBird, to get the “big picture” about what is happening to bird populations.

Here is my GBBC journal from 2018...

DAY 1 - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2018

Walton County, Georgia. Patchy morning fog, 30% chance of showers, high 74°

This was my first time participating in the GBBC. Wandering the grounds, parking lots and buildings around the animal shelter on breaks throughout the day, I was able to list twenty one species on day 1! https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42837801

© Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 66748930 - Eastern Towhee; Walton County, Georgia. February 16, 2018.

DAY 2 - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2018

Clarke County, Georgia. Overcast, high 65°

I spent the entire morning from 8:45 to 11:15 AM on my back patio. Within the first hour or so, I had marked down all the usual birds in my backyard and go up to 19 species. But I like round numbers, so I stayed out just a little longer.

I had to be at the church at noon, so at 11:15 I was going to wrap it up when I heard a strange croak overhead. Then a group of giant birds flying in V-formation cruised right over my house heading west north-west. Not geese. Too big to be Cormorants. I suspected Sandhill Cranes although I didn’t know they migrated in a V-formation. I’d seen them in Illinois and I’d seen them in Florida. This was my first experience finding one in Georgia… especially right above my very own backyard!

I made a second e-bird list while on outreach with my church in the College Circle subdivision. I also spotted a few other species while on a 10 mile run later in the day. Twenty five species for the day!
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42877982
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42883285
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42891476

© Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 66775925 - Northern Cardinal; Clarke County, Georgia. February 17, 2018.

DAY 3 - SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2018

Clarke County, Georgia. Increasing clouds, high 66°

Instead of staying confined to the prayer room before the Sunday morning service, I paced on the sidewalk out front to pray… and to tally another ebird list! Finally spotted a Red-shouldered Hawk mixed in with dozens and dozens of circling vultures.

In the afternoon, a long nap interrupted my plan to go birding at Sandy Creek Park. I didn’t expect to see anything different from yesterday sitting on my back porch, but almost immediately found a White-breasted Nuthatch eating suet along with a Downy Woodpecker! I started a new list and took a walk around the block. While on the backside of Hummingbird Trail, I heard the distinct call of a Barred Owl from the woods.
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42920460
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42923446
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42943276

DAY 4 – MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018

Walton County, Georgia. Morning drizzle and fog, mostly cloudy, high 71°

I wasn’t expecting to get too much birding in today. I planned to go in to work for two hours, mainly to get the payroll done, and then had to leave for errands in Atlanta with my wife. Before leaving work, I took a quick walk around the ponds and grounds. I was able to add two Killdeer to the tally, bringing my total tally to 39 species. Again, I like round numbers, and wanted one more. Where was the Great Blue Heron or the Kingfisher that regularly visit the pond? But on my way home, I got my desire and spotted an American Kestrel on a telephone wire on Barnett Shoals Road in Oconee County. Forty birds in four days!
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42973803
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42975830

© Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 107742738 - Red-shouldered Hawk; Walton County, Georgia. February 19, 2018.