The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
TRYING TO GET A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW
West Woods Nature Center participates in Great Backyard Bird Count
Linda Gilbert got goosebumps when she saw it.
The Geauga Park naturalist spotted a bald eagle outside the West Woods Nature Center in Russell Township Feb. 15, during the first day of the “Great Backyard Bird Count.”
“That’s a great bird,” she said.
The Great Backyard Bird Count, a global event, is now in its 21st year. It was started in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. It was the first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time, according to the event’s website.
This year’s bird count runs from Feb. 15- 18.
The West Woods Nature Center hosted watches in its lobby overlooking bird feeders on the first two days of the event. During the first day of the event, Geauga Park District staff, volunteers and citizen participants spotted 19 different kinds of birds. A similar variety was found Feb. 16.
“I don’t feel as guilty watching the birds when I know it’s contributing to the greater good.” — Linda Gilbert, Geauga Park naturalist
Gilbert said that the West Woods lends itself well to seeing a diverse array of birds because it has a variety of habitats including steams, forest, vernal pools and rock ledges.
The birds spotted at the park included morning doves, cardinals, goldfinches, red-bellied woodpeckers and a Cooper’s hawk.
Of the first two days of the count, the 16th was the colder day, with occasional flurries of snow in the air. Gilbert said more birds were coming to the feeders because of that. In the cold weather, the birds have to eat constantly to build enough fat to survive the night, she said.
More than 160,000 people around the world now participate in the annual backyard bird count. Last year participants from more than 100 countries contributed, counting more than 6,400 species of birds.
According to the Backyard Bird Count’s website, scientists use the information compiled during the event, along with other citizen-scientist projects, to get the “big picture” about what is happening to bird populations.
The count helps scientists answer questions like:
• “How will the weather and climate change influence bird populations?”
• “Some birds, such as winter finches, appear in large numbers during some years but not others. Where are these species from year to year, and what can we learn from these patterns?”
• “How will the timing of birds’ migrations compare with past years?”
• “How are bird diseases, such as West Nile virus, affecting birds in different regions?”
“What kinds of differences in bird diversity are apparent in cities versus suburban, rural, and natural areas?”
Though the West Woods is not holding watches on Feb. 17-18, Gilbert said those interested can participate in their own “backyard, a park, wherever.”
Those who want to submit their results can learn how to do so by visiting http://gbbc.birdcount.org/ get-started/.
“I don’t feel as guilty watching the birds when I know it’s contributing to the greater good,” Gilbert said.