Backyard Bird Count

As we learn more about various aspects of the Adirondack park that make it the popular place it has become, I have grown to appreciate this region even though I’ve only visited the park two times. However, despite the many characteristics that make the Adirondacks a special place, I cannot help but find myself slightly behind those who have grown up hiking in the park. My childhood hikes took place at Fort Washington State Park and Valley Green, two parks very close to my house. As I glanced through the various articles in the Adirondack Almanack detailing the newest park news, I came across an article that brings the Adirondacks a little closer to home. According to the Almanack, this February more that 100 birdwatchers participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), a worldwide program which is a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. Information gathered by birdwatchers around the world allows scientists to track the health of bird populations in thousands of locations. My sister is an avid birdwatcher so I have many memories of hiking to various locations in our area to participate in this backyard bird count. Although our hunt took place hundreds of miles away from the Adirondacks, I feel like my participation in this event makes me feel a little closer to the conservation efforts occurring in the park.

This year’s bird count in the Adirondacks resulted in many observations which are useful for estimating the health of various populations. However, when analyzing this data scientists had to keep in mind that this winter was particularly cold and snowy in much of the northeastern United States and Canada, reducing the number of reports. Keeping this factor in mind, the count still produced results which give an idea of the population trends.

The Adirondack Almanack featured information on a few species which had significant increases in population size in recent years. The Snowy Owl breeds in Arctic regions worldwide and is frequently sighted during the Backyard Bird Count across the Great Lakes states, Northeastern U.S., Atlantic Coast, and southern Canada. The GBBC showed that the winter of 2013-2014 was a very successful breeding year for these birds, reporting large numbers across the Great Lakes states. This year’s report shows a similar greater surge in owl sightings. Populations of winter finches, including Grosbeaks and Pine Siskins are also increasing according to the GBBC. Pine Siskins were reported on about 10.5% of GBBC, compared to 1.2% of checklists in 2014. 

Although GBBC participation levels range in different parts of the world, I find it very exciting that so many people can come together to provide an insight on the health of thousands of bird species. It’s reassuring to know that such a significant number of people continue to care about these animals are various factors threaten their populations.

Source: http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2015/03/great-backyard-bird-count-sets-species-record.html#more-52423