*The Great Backyard Bird Count Returns for its Ninth Season **February 17-20, 2006***
"The level of energy created each February by Great Backyard Bird counters is phenomenal," said Dr. Paul Green, director of Citizen Science for Audubon. "What always amazes me are the new discoveries made by people across North America. Some bird watchers even send digital photos to back up their reports. Last year participants sent in more than 1,000 photos and many are now part of the GBBC web site gallery."
Everyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to seasoned experts.
During the count, bird watchers can tally up birds for as little as 15 minutes, or for as long as they like, keeping track of the highest number of each bird species they see together at one time. People are encouraged to report birds from public lands and local parks, as well as from their own backyards. Participants enter their numbers online at www.birdsource.org/gbbc and can explore sightings maps, lists, and charts as the count progresses.
For more information contact the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at
_cornellbirds@cornell.edu
*New York**, **NY** & **Ithaca**, NY, **December 2, 2005*/ - /The Great
Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), a joint project of Audubon and the Cornell
Lab of Ornithology, returns for its ninth season February 17-20, 2006.
Bird enthusiasts of all ages can share their love of birds with a
friend, a child, a scout troop, a class, or a co-worker - opening new
eyes to the joy of birding and the fun of creating a unique snapshot of
winter bird abundance and distribution across the continent.
Last updated: 6 December 2005 by REW.