Tag: Great Backyard Bird Count

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Great Backyard Bird Count 2016 Results

 Flowering Quince

Here are my Great Backyard Bird Count results for 2016.

Anna’s Hummingbird – 2

Spotted Towhee – 2

California Towhee – 1

Scrub Jay – 1

House Finch – 1

Titmouse – 1

Mourning Dove – 1

White-crowned Sparrow – 2

Dark eyed Juncos – 2

American Robins – 14

Cedar Waxwings – 30

Northern flicker – 1

 

12 different birds with a total count of 58 birds! This year I only managed to count birds one of the mornings during the count period. This made a big difference in the results. Although, we had more birds this year than in the last 2 years, it is only because we had such a high count for the cedar waxwings. The morning I counted they just happened to be in my tree eating and roosting.

Hope you had a chance to count birds this year! Leave me a comment if you created an entry for your results and I will pop over and take a look.

 Peacock Dover Publications Tiffany Glass coloring book

Have you seen the new product over at NotebookingPages.com? If you own a Lifetime Membership over on Debra’s website, you can log into your account on NotebookingPages.com and download your set right now. If you aren’t already a member over there, you can purchase the set separately or I would highly recommend a Lifetime Membership so you can access all of the 1000’s of notebooking pages she has to offer. ($4.95 for the set or get started with your membership with $10!)

Marine Invertebrates Notebooking Pages

Please note I am an affiliate for NotebookingPages.com and have used the notebooking pages with my family for years!

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Great Backyard Bird Count Reminder

Great BAckyard Bird Count 2016

What? The Great Backyard Bird Count
When? February 12-15, 2016
Who? Anyone around the world…for the first time ever!
How? Count birds in your yard and at your feeders. Report the data to the Great Backyard Bird Count

Need so more information?
Great Backyard Bird Count

Video: Great Backyard Bird Count

Get prepared with printable checklists for you area…by zip code or town name.

Our family is going to be counting and I will share our results here on the blog soon!

Here is our bird list results from 2015: Great Backyard Bird Count Results 2015

Grosbeak Feb 2016 (13)

 

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Keeping a Bird Life List

10 Ideas for a Bird Life List @HBNatureStudy

Bird watching is an active sport. With each new bird you identify you are inspired to get out and look some more! The life list is a simple way to not not only encourage your young birder but also to help them view birding and nature study as a life long habit. Creating a life list is an extension of your time outdoors that helps your child learn how science can be documented and analyzed over a period of time.

Keeping a life list of birds is a simple project. It can be kept in a variety of ways as shown below.

Bird Life List 10 Ideas @handbookofnaturestudy

Ways to Keep a Bird Life List

  1. On paper – in a journal dedicated to keep track long term.
  2. In a book – there are log books specifically created for keeping a life list. Here is the one we have used: Bird Log Kids: A Kid’s Journal to Record Their Birding Experiences.
  3. Back of a field guide – in the back of many bird field guides there is a place to record your life list.
  4. On the pages of a field guide – I have seen people make a note with pen next to the photo or the illustration of each bird they observed right in the field guide.
  5. Notebook page- there are notebooking pages from various sources (including the one below) that you print and keep in a binder as an on-going record.
  6. Online – there are websites specifically dedicated to keeping a birds life list (like e-bird which is an app for your phone as well).
  7. Online- I have discovered several people who create a Pinterest board sharing their life list (like this one Bird Life List).
  8. Computer spreadsheet – some people take their field notes and consolidate them on a spreadsheet on the computer.
  9. Checklist – Find and print a bird list for your local area. Use this as a checklist as you observe each bird, recording your observation data right on the checklist.
  10. Your own cards – Create a field guide card for each bird on your life list (use my printable and idea).

Special Activity:Life List Printable

Bird Life List Printable
I have attempted to create a Life List Printable that will be flexible for you to use in your nature notebook. Your list can be as detailed as you wish. Things to include: Date and Time of Day. Location. Gender. Weather. Bird Sounds. Number of birds seen.

Additional resources:
Printable Checklists by Country or Region (updated the link with one that should get you started)
Bird Nature Journal Ideas – from my archives

Learning About Birds 3D coverYou may be interested in the Learning about Birds ebook available here on the Handbook of Nature Study. If you have an Ultimate or Journey level membership, you have access to this ebook that covers every single bird included in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock.

Handbook of Nature Study Ultimate Naturalist Library

Also I am highly recommending that you purchase the Bird Bundle from NotebookingPages.com as a great supplement to your study of birds using the Outdoor Hour Challenge. Note: These are affiliate links.

All About Birds Basic Study Notebooking Pages
Birds of North America Notebooking Pages

Use code discount5 to save $5 on any purchase $10 or more from the NotebookingPages.com Shop. (This does not include membership purchases.)

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Great Backyard Bird Count 2015 Results

February Blossoms
This year the Great Backyard Bird Count fell on a perfect spring-like weekend. We have had warm temperatures and loads of sunshine, causing the trees and flowers to burst open with color and fragrance. This was great for all of us humans but it seemed to lower the numbers of birds we typically see during this citizen science event.

IMG_1377

We participated on two of the four days and here are our results.

Great Backyard Bird Count 2015

  • Anna’s hummingbird 1
  • Titmouse 2
  • Western scrub jay 3
  • Crows 2
  • Spotted towhee 2
  • Juncos 2
  • Pine siskins 2
  • White-crowned sparrows 1
  • Mockingbird 1
  • House finches 9
  • Northern flicker 1

A total of 26 birds. (Of note, we haven’t counted a single House sparrow in months at our feeders as part of Project Feederwatch. Where have they all gone?)

The week before the count we had 8 inches of rain and 102 birds that visited our feeders and yard, including approx. 50 Cedar wawings, a Nuttall’s woodpecker, and 10 robins. Quite a difference!

Here is a link to last year’s results: 2014.

I created my nature journal page as part of the Once a Month Nature Journal Project featuring one of the robins I watched right outside my window in the pyracantha berries. The suggestion was to create a page that recorded something you saw out your window.

American robin nature journal
Once a Month Nature Journal Project for February

I also had some time to create a notebook page entry for the Northern flicker. The Outdoor Hour Challenge a few weeks ago was to watch for a flicker in your yard or neighborhood. I actually saw three flickers one day when I was driving over to my parent’s house. I love seeing them flash in front of me with their colorful underbellies. You can find the challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Flickers.

Flicker Nature Journal Page

I know people are going to ask me so I will link the Cornell bird coloring book for you to download: Classroom Feederwatch-Cornell Bird Coloring Book.

I hope you had a chance to count birds this year!

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Crows, Ravens, and the Great Backyard Bird Count

Raven @handbookofnaturestudy

We have had some changes in the birds that frequent our feeders and our neighborhood. Here are a few of my observations and thoughts.

1. We are seeing more ravens than crows these days. It isn’t unusual to see three ravens flying over the yard, landing in our tall evergreens right at the top. They sit there and make their CRONK, CRONK sound and then a gurgling. They are so much larger than the crows we have had in the past. I’m not sure what the reason is for the change but it will be interesting to see the numbers during the Great Backyard Bird Count. If you would like to do a really easy study and comparison of the raven and the crow, I highly recommend this page on All About Birds: Crows vs. Ravens.

2. We haven’t had any house sparrows in our feeders since last spring. Where did they go? We still have white-crowned sparrows and fox sparrows but the distinctive sweet song of the house sparrow is absent. Should I be sad at their disappearance? Is it only a temporary thing, perhaps having some connection to the drought we are experiencing? Only time will tell.

Great Backyard Bird Count 2015

GBBC

I invite you to mark February 13-16, 2015 on your calendar and plan on participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count at least one of the days. We have participated in this citizen science project for many years, keeping a record of the birds that come to our yard during the count period. This activity started us on a long term quest to learn all of the birds that come to visit us, learning their names and habits.

 

 

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Great Backyard Bird Count – 2014 Results

 

Our winter bird study happens every week with Project Feederwatch, observing birds in our own yard for a few minutes at a time. We also participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count in February. Both citizen science projects are super easy to complete. Even when we first started counting birds, back when we couldn’t name every bird, we felt a sense of joy at awakening our admiration for birds.

This year our list was much smaller than previous years. We are guessing it is the weather we have been experiencing with much warmer and sunny days, very little rain. I am assuming this is valuable information to share with the scientists at the GBBC as they process the data and see where birds are in 2014 during the count.

Here is our official list for the Great Backyard Bird Count:

  • Nuttall’s woodpecker – 1
  • Anna’s hummingbird – 1
  • Titmouse – 1
  • Western scrub jay – 1
  • American goldfinch – 2
  • House finch – 10
  • Dark-eyed Junco 6
  • House sparrow – 4
  • White-crowned sparrow – 4

Other birds seen in February 2014:

  • Spotted towhee
  • White-breasted nuthatch
  • Acorn woodpecker
  • Fox sparrow
  • California towhee

We have a new bird that visits under our birdfeeder which is exciting. It is a Fox sparrow (sooty). I have yet to get a really good photo of him but I will keep trying. This is the type of bird that has flown into my window twice now. They are such pretty birds and it makes me sad to see them perish in such an undignified way.

I am also working on my Nature Study Goals for 2014 and trying to add some of my newer bird discoveries to my nature journal. Here is my Bewick’s wren entry…not very original but it works. Drawing birds is a challenge for me but I think this one turned out decently. I haven’t seen this particular wren in weeks but I am keeping my eye out to see when it returns to our yard.

Last summer we added a new suet feeder to the yard and it has now become a favorite of the Acorn woodpecker. He comes just about every day to eat and I enjoy watching him with all his colorful glory. I will keep it stocked with suet and see if he becomes a year-round resident.

March is the last month of Project Feederwatch for the season. I am always sad to see it go but I keep an informal record of the birds seen at our feeders just about year-round. It brings me such joy!

Nature Study Bundle Button

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Great Backyard Bird Count – 2014

2014Poster_250px.jpg
What? The Great Backyard Bird Count
When? February 14-17, 2014
Who? Anyone around the world…
How? Count birds in your yard and at your feeders. Report the data to the Great Backyard Bird Count

Need so more information?
Great Backyard Bird Count

Video: Great Backyard Bird Count

Sign up for the free eNewsletter from the Great Backyard Bird Count.

Get prepared with printable checklists for you area…by zip code or town name.

Print out and color some bird pages.

 GBBCblogbutton_En_8_2014.gif

This is going to be a year to compare I think since our weather is so very different and our landscape is still very dry and brown. I will be sharing updates here on the blog and a wrap-up post later in the month. If you are participating, leave me a comment and tell me your favorite bird.

What is your favorite backyard bird?

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Things We Learn with the Great Backyard Bird Count – Our 2013 List

 GBBCblogbutton_1_2013-1.gif

This is our fifth year of participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count in our Northern California home. It is the highlight of our February nature study and has led to our becoming better birders every year.

Things We Learn With The Great Backyard Bird Count
  • Learning to identify our backyard birds-an obvious skill that comes directly from recording our observations.
  • Refining our skills as observers-knowing the difference between male and female specimens, subtle differences between species like the House finch and the Pine siskin.
  • Careful record keeping-counting and tallying each bird for the best data to share with the GBBC
  • Better at understanding changes over time-comparing numbers of birds from year to year, anticipating migratory birds, knowing a new bird
  • Learning to use our binoculars better and to take better bird photos
  • Becoming part of an online birding community-reading other family’s experiences and lists, seeing their photos
  • Value of contributing to a citizen science project- realizing our small part in this really important big project as a partner with Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Our2013 List of Birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count
  1. Western Scrub Jay 2
  2. Oak Titmouse 2
  3. White-breasted Nuthatch 1
  4. Spotted Towhee1
  5. White-crowned Sparrow 4
  6. Dark Eyed Junco 6
  7. House Finch 15
  8. House Sparrow 4
  9. California Towhee 1
  10. American Robin 20
  11. Anna’s Hummingbird 2
  12. Mourning Dove 4
  13. Lesser Goldfinches 2
  14. Northern mockingbird 1
  15. Steller’s Jay 1
  16. Pine Siskin 4

Not the impressive numbers we usually have and a few of our old favorites are missing like the woodpeckers and flickers and Cedar waxwings. We did have two new birds this year which was a thrill. The Steller’s jay and the Pine siskin are newcomers to our GBBC list.

I of course spent lots of time running from window to window to try to capture some of our backyard bird visitors….this is normal behavior from me at all times but especially during the GBBC. But this time I didn’t get an really super images so I will indulge you with my Mourning dove and California towhee….some of our regular year-round residents.

Did you count birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count?
Feel free to share your GBBC entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival this month or you can leave a comment here in this entry with the most exciting or interesting bird you saw during the GBBC.

Don’t forget that everyone who enters the OHC Carnival this month is entered to win a DVD from Crowe’s Nest Media – either the Monarch Butterfly or the Backyard Bird DVD! They are both wonderful resources for your nature study that your children will want to watch over and over again.

Our February Blog Sponsor….Thanks to the Crowe Family for providing such wonderful DVD’s and study guides for our science and nature study!

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Great Backyard Bird Count 2013 – Get Ready!

What? The Great Backyard Bird Count
When? February 15-18, 2013
Who? Anyone around the world…for the first time ever!
How? Count birds in your yard and at your feeders. Report the data to the Great Backyard Bird Count

Need so more information?
Great Backyard Bird Count

Video: Great Backyard Bird Count

Images of the Top Ten Birds from last years count!

Get prepared with printable checklists for you area…by zip code or town name.

Join the photo contest! 

 GBBCblogbutton_1_2013-1.gif
Our family is getting ready for the big count this weekend. The weather is going to be warm and sunny so we will be able to get out and count those birds! I invite you to join us either formally or informally….How about some tweets with the hashtag #GBBC? How about some Instagram images with #GBBC?

Get out those Bird Grids from the February Newsletter and get started looking for birds with your family. 

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Great Backyard Bird Count 2012 – Complete!

American Robin in the tree
What a great weekend of bird watching we had as we participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count! We have finished our counting and I thought I would post our results.

  1. Western Scrub Jay 2
  2. Oak Titmouse 2
  3. White-breasted Nuthatch 2
  4. Spotted Towhee 2
  5. White-crowned Sparrow 10
  6. Dark Eyed Junco 11
  7. House Finch 10
  8. House Sparrow 14
  9. California Towhee 1
  10. American Robin 42
  11. American Crow 3
  12. Anna’s Hummingbird 3
  13. Nuttall’s Woodpecker 1
  14. Mourning Dove 5
  15. Northern Flicker 1
  16. Sharp-shinned Hawk 2
  17. Western Bluebirds 4
  18. Lesser Goldfinches 4

You can see more images of our backyard birds in this post: December Bird List with Two New Birds .

Western Scrub Jay in the Feeder

We compared our numbers to the last three year’s numbers and there is virtually no change. The only significant bird missing from our list is the Cedar Waxwing. We usually have a flock come through during the GBBC weekend and this year we did not. We were talking about why that may be and the only piece of information that may be significant is that every other year we have had at least one day of snow on the GBBC weekend. We have not seen the flocks of Cedar Waxwings that we usually see this time of year come through yet. What does that mean? Maybe nothing but it is worthy of noting.

Our family really enjoys the bird count each year and now that we are participating in Project Feederwatch we have become very good at recognizing our feeder birds. Learning to identify your backyard birds is easy and you can take it one bird at a time. Don’t get overwhelmed and make it fun for the family.

Bird Outdoor Hour Challenges
There is a series of bird nature study challenges here on my blog. Each challenge helps your family get to your own backyard birds. I invite you to use these free challenges as a way to develop a love of birds in your family.

Bird Sleuth button
There is a wealth of birding information on the internet but I have not found a more homeschool-friendly site than the ones sponsored by Cornell University. I would love to encourage you all to subscribe to their homeschool blog (click the logo above to pop over there now).