Great Backyard Bird Count slated

   Bucks County Audubon Society at Honey Hollow invites everyone to participate in the 16th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). The 2013 count will be held President’s Weekend, Feb. 15-18.
   During the 2012 count, participants reported 17.4 million bird observations on 104,000 checklists. Snowy Owls thrilled many participants when these striking birds-of-prey ventured south from the Arctic in record numbers. In 2013, scientists predict that U.S. and Canadian bird watchers will see an influx of Red-breasted Nuthatches and winter finches (such as Pine Siskins) because of scarce food supplies on their northern wintering grounds.
   There are some exciting changes coming to the GBBC. For the first time the count is going global and will be powered by eBird, an online checklist program for all of the world’s 10,240 bird species.
   Educators at Honey Hollow Environmental Education Center can help you get started, whether it’s in your backyard, the BCAS bird blind or another location of your choosing.
   To encourage participation, BCAS is holding a count and winter hike on Feb. 16 from 2-4 p.m. After a brief introduction and instructions participant will head out to the bird blind and then hike the property to find and count birds. Checklists and instructions also will be available at the Audubon Visitor Center the week prior to the count for those wishing to participate from home.
   Solebury residents are being encouraged to participate as part of Solebury Township’s Bird Town initiative: the township with the most checklists submitted will win an award!
   The annual event is jointly sponsored by Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society and is also sponsored in part by Wild Birds Unlimited.
   The count gives everyone a chance to participate in “Citizen Science” by discovering the birds in their neighborhood.
   ”The GBBC is an ideal opportunity for young and old to connect with nature by discovering birds and to participate in a huge science project,” said Gary Langham, Audubon’s chief scientist. “This year, we hope people on all seven continents, oceans and islands will head out into their neighborhoods, rural areas, parks, and wilderness to further our understanding of birds across the hemispheres.”
   Contact the BCAS Office at 215-297-5880 for more information.
   Bucks County Audubon Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving wildlife, promoting awareness of environmental issues, and educating the community about the interdependence of people and the natural world. The administrative offices are located at 6324 Upper York Road, Solebury Township. The Honey Hollow Environmental Education Center is located at 2877 Creamery Road, Solebury Township. Fax: 215-297-0835; e-mail: [email protected].