Backyard Bird Count Weekend

[kastern]

Today, through to, and including Monday is the Great North American Back Yard Bird Count (just google that in and the site will come up). Are you all out there counting the birds? At least it is a good excuse to go birding!!! It is a fun thing to participate in and watch the counts climb. Find out just how far those Tree Swallows are from us at this point.

Kathy

[Gord]

Thanks for the reminder Kathy and Stan!

Here's the link.

I'm going to go out this afternoon and participate before the rain comes.

[Deleted]

Folks, in case you need it, here's the website for information and for entering your records to the Great Backyard Bird Count for 2007. It started on Friday and includes today, tomorrow and Monday Feb 16 - 19.

www.birdsource.org/gbbc/

This is a very worthwhile project to contribute to. Every record helps, even if it's just your yard observations for the day.

Thanks,

Stan

Thanks,

Stan

[Gord]

Thanks for posting the link! Seems I forgot or messed it up. oops.

Ive had fun with this and will certainly be participating next year as well!

I checked on the tree swallows too. California, Mississippi and Florida have the most reported. Washington has none but Oregon has reported 7. Seems the birds skipped Washington and 3 are in Burnaby as of today!

[kastern]

I've been trying to get my courage up to venture out today in the pouring rain. Unless things improve I think the only counting that will get done today are those birds that come to my backyard. We've had so much to do this weekend that I haven't been able to do as much counting as I'd like, but we did keep tallies along roads everywhere we had to drive to and did a search along the back route on Nicoman Island. That gave us the best amounts. Listed in the order we came across them.

Here is the list. Seen in a 15 to 20 minute drive.

Northwesten Crows - 70
Steller's Jay - 3
Rock Pigeons - 26
Bufflehead - 1
Bald Eagle - 4
Mallards - 141
Canada Geese - 137
Double Crested Cormorant - 4
Cooper's Hawk - 1
American Kestral - 2
Great Blue Heron - 15 (all together in one spot at the end of a slough)
Common Merganser - 5
Green Wing Teal - 4
Ringneck Duck - 6
Trumpeter Swans - 129
Dark Eyed Junco - 24 (flock flew across the road in front of us)
Red Tail Hawk - 2
Glaucous Winged Gull - 130
Starling - 155

[kastern]

Hey Gord...your checking on those Tree Swallows prompted me to check on the progress of Rufous Hummingbirds.....seems there are some just across the line in Washington State, as far north as Seattle....guess I'd better dig out the hummingbird feeder a little earlier than planned!

Kathy