Monday, February 18, 2013

Common Redpoll photos-Great Backyard Bird Count.

South Burlington, VT Bird Photos

 




What is the GBBC?  

The GBBC is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are. Beginning in 2013, The Great Backyard Bird Count checklists will be accepted from anywhere in the world!  The 2013 GBBC took place February 15, through February 18. Everyone is welcome--from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds.
Participants tally the number of individual birds of each species they see during their count period. They enter these numbers on the GBBC website.
The Great Backyard Bird Count is led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, with Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada and sponsorship from Wild Birds Unlimited.
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/whycount.html




Why count birds?

Scientists and bird enthusiasts can learn a lot by knowing where the birds are. Bird populations are dynamic; they are constantly in flux. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to document and understand the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time.
Scientists use the GBBC information, along with observations from other citizen-science projects, such as the Christmas Bird Count, Project FeederWatch, and eBird, to get the “big picture” about what is happening to bird populations. The longer these data are collected, the more meaningful they become in helping scientists investigate far-reaching questions, like these:

 

                                                                      Red-breasted Nuthatch

• How will the weather influence bird populations?

• Where are winter finches and other “irruptive” species that appear in large numbers during some years but not others?

• 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?

 -Text Credit: Great Backyard Bird Count led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, with Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada and sponsorship from Wild Birds Unlimited. http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/whycount.html

 The photos I took and shown here are a few of the 16 species I was able to identify in our backyard during the 2013 GBBC.



                                                             Northern Cardinal (Male)






                                                                                  Common Redpoll









                                                                    American Goldfinch
                                                                                       At ease soldier!








                                                                     Hairy Woodpecker (Female)









I'd like to fly away with the whole bundle,















                                                                                    however flying regulations only allow one peanut at at time!             
                            










Are we like distant cousins or something?













                                                                                                      












                                                                 Its all down hill from here.











                                                                  American Tree Sparrow
                                                                     spending most of his time here
                                                                          looking for bird seed
                                                                                       on the ground.















                                                       White-throated Sparrow
                                                See I really do have a white throat.











                                             White-breasted Nuthatch on a Mason bee box










                                                        Don't you just love sunning youself in Feb.










                                                                Downy Woodpecker (Male)









                                                       Fruit is for the birds... I want PEANUT BUTTER SUET












                                            Suet or peanuts... they both look so good.


                                                          OK for once Ill try the suet.
                                                                But don't be touching my peanuts.












                                           Hey those don't look bad either.
                                          They didn't tell me dinner was going to be buffet.
                   










                                         Brown Creeper- Visited on Sat and Sun & Monday









                                                              I do love peanuts.















                                                                                                                 Sweethearts























If you look closely, you will see this is the biggest one.
Now if I can just wrangle it out of there.












                                                                             House Finch
                                            Did you hear what I heard? No Limit buffet.

















































                                     You can almost hear this Redpoll crunching away on the Sunflower seed.

















                                                   OHHH this spa is warming my tootsies.
















I just don't know what to get the missus for Valentine's day.















 


                                                           The titmouse prepares for a bath.









                                                                 I'm going to need a napkin please.









                                                       There is a door here somewhere, I just know it.









                                                                                         The invasion of Starlings





 The Boss




See this video taken in our backyard of a Nuthatch giving warning to a Titmouse to stay out of its personal space and wait in line for peanuts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lna2myxKhc&feature=youtu.be

  







                                            




1 comment:

  1. Love seeing pictures of these Northern birds. Glad too that you are one of their friends.

    ReplyDelete

COMMENTS WELCOMED