Great Backyard Bird Count on record-setting pace

When Dr. John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, spoke on Bird Calls Radio a few weeks ago, he said he hoped the Great Backyard Bird Count would exceed 100,000 participants this year. While the days for the Count have passed, it appears that Fitzpatrick may get his wish.

According to an email I received today, the GBBC has 95,480 checklists turned in as of today (Monday, Feb. 27). The number may exceed 100,000 because participants have until March 5 to submit their results. I just completed my checklists this past weekend — I did two Darien Land Trust properties and had a great time with my kids.

According to the email from GBBC, participants have reported 611 species and 16,453,862 individual bird observations, as of Monday. If you haven’t turned in your checklists yet, do so by March 5 at www.birdcount.org.

To hear Fitzpatrick’s take on the Great Backyard Bird Count click here. BCR archive 2-12-12 with John Fitzpatrick GBBC

If you missed Sunday’s show live, you missed a terrific talk with Jayne Neville, founder of Mount Vernon Songbird Sanctuary. We discusses rehabilitating songbirds, what dangers songbirds face (mostly human-made), and several other topics. If you missed it, that archive will be available on this site in the next day or two.

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