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Birding News and Features

Great Backyard Bird Count 2010

February 09, 2010

Don’t forget to join the 13^th annual Great Backyard Bird Count taking place February 12-15. Please enter your tallies on the GBBC website in addition to eBird. You’ll be part of a focused continentwide effort to gather as many observations as possible about where the birds are wintering and in what numbers. Participants tallied 620 species in the 2009 count and sent in more than 93,600 checklists, a new record! Tweet about what birds you’re seeing and use the #gbbc hashtag to have your comments show up in the Twitter widget on the GBBC home page. Watch reports coming in via the website’s maps and upload images for the photo contest. Just by participating in the GBBC you’ll be entered into a drawing for great prizes. The GBBC is a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society with new Canadian partner, Bird Studies Canada and sponsorship from Wild Birds Unlimited.

Guidelines for Reporting Sensitive Species

February 08, 2010

As birders, we all love to see owls--they are beautiful, fascinating, and generally hard to come by. An encounter with an owl can be among the most memorable of birding experiences. In many places, however, roosting owls are vulnerable to disturbance, particularly in areas where owls are scarce and people are abundant! When owls are flushed from their secretive roosting spots they are frequently ‘mobbed’ by crows and jays, creating lots of commotion in the process, and drawing attention to species that rely on their cryptic plumage to help hide them from potential predators. If mobbing occurs frequently, the owls may abandon the roosting site. In the worst-case scenario, a larger predator like a Red-tailed Hawk or Great Horned Owl may be alerted to the presence of the smaller owls, and prey upon them. We use owls as an example of what might be considered a ‘sensitive species’, but these can change locally and regionally. So what steps should we take to avoid disturbing owls and sensitive species in general? And how does that relate to reporting these birds to eBird?

Participate in the Second Annual Rusty Blackbird Blitz!

February 01, 2010

Populations of Rusty Blackbirds are crashing! Their numbers have plummeted by as much as 88-98% over the last few decades, according to data gathered between 1966 and 2006 for the North American Breeding Bird Survey and Christmas Bird Count. A species that was once considered to be abundant is rapidly disappearing before our eyes. Your observations can help save this species by arming scientists with critical information about its ecology. The Rusty Blackbird Working Group has developed the Rusty Blackbird Blitz, a winter survey whose goal is to count Rusty Blackbirds range-wide just prior to spring migration. From 30 January - 15 February, search for Rusty Blackbirds in your area and report your observations to eBird. Click the image at right to learn more.

Subscribe to eBird Alerts!

January 21, 2010

We are very excited to introduce a new feature: eBird Alerts! By going to the eBird Alerts page from "View and Explore Data" you can view a list of all the national-level rarities recently reported in North America and Canada. These are defined by the ABA Codes, which we explain below. You have the option to subscribe hourly (!), daily, or just to visit this page and click to see the results from the past seven days. In the near future, we hope to add similar alerts for birds you "need" (i.e., birds not already on your eBird list) for a given state or province. So please, sign up for our ABA Alerts to keep up on what rarities--like Ivory Gulls--are being reported around the country!

eBirder of the Month: David Suddjian

January 15, 2010

Below we continue our new feature: "eBirder of the Month". The goal is to highlight how an individual is using eBird to inspire others to follow in their footsteps. One does not need to be a well-traveled or expert birder to be featured. Anyone who uses eBird is eligible, provided she or he understands the overarching goals of eBird and is committed to using the program regularly and properly. We are particularly interested in featuring people who are participating in our eBird Site Survey or County Birding initiatives. If you know of a candidate for the next eBirder of the month, please contact us. We are proud to introduce David Suddjian of Santa Cruz County, California as the January 2010 eBirder of the month. Congratulations David!