Save the Date!

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Save the Dates: GBBC is Coming!

The next Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) takes place Friday, February 12 through Monday, February 15, 2010. The National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are calling on everyone to “Count for Fun, Count for the Future!” During last year’s count, participants turned in more than 93,600 checklists online, creating the continent's largest instantaneous snapshot of bird populations ever recorded. We hope you’ll join us again and help spread the word, since the success of the count depends on people tallying birds from as many locations as possible across the continent.

Spread the Word

Each year, we rely on you to spread the word about the GBBC. One way we do this is through our volunteer ambassador program. Volunteer ambassadors do a variety of things, including hanging up GBBC fliers, giving presentations in their community, and even talking to their local media. For more ideas on how to promote the GBBC, fill out the online ambassador sign-up form and specify the kinds of activities you’d like to do.

You can also get involved by simply forwarding this email to friends and family, encouraging them to participate!

Birds to Help

Looking to help the birds in your area? Visit Audubon at Home’s Birds to Help website for some tips. Tips are organized according to setting—urban, suburban, or rural.

Project FeederWatch Season Begins Soon

The 2009-10 season of Project FeederWatch begins November 14, though you can sign up at any time. FeederWatchers keep track of their birds through the winter and report their tallies each week. This helps scientists track changes in winter bird populations from year to year.

To learn more and to sign up, visit the Project FeederWatch website. New participants receive a kit with a handbook, a bird-identification poster, calendar, and instruction booklet. There is a $15 fee ($12 for Lab members) to help cover the costs of materials and participant support. If you live in Canada, please visit our partner, Bird Studies Canada, or call (888) 448-2473.

Thank you for all you do to help the birds!

Janis Dickinson, Director of Citizen Science, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Tom Bancroft, Vice-President for Science, National Audubon Society


Images by 2009 GBBC participants: Great Blue Heron by Lynne Marsho; Blue Jay by Katya Porter.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a nonprofit membership institution interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit the Cornell Lab’s website at www.birds.cornell. edu.

Audubon is dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Our national network of community-based nature centers and chapters, scientific and educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations, engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in conservation. www.audubon. org