Citizen scientists needed for bird count
Binoculars within reach, pad of paper on the kitchen table and birdseed scattered in his backyard, he is ready to do his part as a citizen scientist.
John Black of St. Catharines will join more than 160,000 people worldwide for four days this week to count birds.
The Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb. 16 to 19, will provide an annual snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds on our planet. It started in 1998 and was the first online citizen- science project to collect data on wild birds and display results in near real- time. Scientists will use the information from this bird count and others to get a big picture of what’s happening to bird populations.
The Canadian count is being coordinated by Bird Studies Canada.
Black has been watching birds for years. He is co- author of Niagara Birds, a 700- page book stocked with stories of birds that have been spotted in Niagara, from our common feathered friends to the rare stragglers that have flown a bit off course during their visits to the region.
To contribute to the bird count, he might go on a hike in one of his favourite bird- spotting areas — the Glenridge Quarry Naturalization Site. Or he might take up position at his kitchen table and record what visits his backyard feeder.
Either way, he will input the information into a database that will contribute to an overall story about birds that could help scientists understand some far- reaching questions.
“It’s rather a small part,” he said. “But it opens up a whole new perspective.”
Simply put, people need to spent at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count noting birds, and then submit the results online at birdcount. org. People can count at any location — their backyard, a park, trail, school, balcony or beach — for as long as they like.
Last year, there were participants in more than 100 countries who counted more than 6,200 species of birds.
On this day, Black’s attention turns to three tiny black birds pecking at the squirrel- proof feed he’s distributed along a hedge of cedars in his backyard. On his pad of paper, he writes: 3 juncos.
This winter, he has seen blue jays, cardinals, even red- bellied woodpeckers that swoop down, grab a seed, then promptly fly upwards to hide it in the bark grooves of nearby trees. He’s even seen American robins.
When he came to Niagara in the 1960s, it was rare to see a red- bellied woodpecker.
“Now if you go to almost any woodlot, you can hear them squawking,” he said.
Even the common house finches and Carolina wren, weren’t so common back then. Black has participated in many different bird counts over the years. A favourite of his is the Christmas bird count where birding enthusiasts drive around a predetermined area, using all their senses to identify birds by sight and call. When he was younger, he used to be up before sunrise to look for owls and finish at sunset. He enjoyed the friendly competition of seeing who could identify the most birds. At 82, he leaves all that to the younger birders, he said.
And yet, on the online site called eBird where people can input species and sightings year round, he ranks No. 1 for Niagara. Black has identified 336 bird species in Niagara — six more than his closest challenger.
He enjoys playing with the program, to watch migration patterns over time and to see where certain bird species stay at specific times of the year.
The best part of the backyard count is that people don’t need to be bird experts. And it gives them a reason to get outside and go for a walk.
Being outdoors is reason enough. “It’s a somewhat spiritual experience for me to get out,” he said.
Learn more at http:// gbbc. birdcount. org. cclock@ postmedia. ca