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FW: Great Backyard Bird Count



I recive this from the National Audubon and thought it may be of intrest to
fellow birders.			VAN ATKINS



>Return-Path: <owner-chapter-communicator@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG>
>Date:         Thu, 20 Jan 2000 12:26:48 -0500
>Reply-To: "BIANCHI, John" <JBIANCHI@AUDUBON.ORG>
>Sender: NAS Chapter Communications officers
<CHAPTER-COMMUNICATOR@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG>
>From: "BIANCHI, John" <JBIANCHI@AUDUBON.ORG>
>Subject:      FW: Great Backyard Bird Count
>To: CHAPTER-COMMUNICATOR@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG
>
>All - 
>
>We sent you information on this last fall, so this is just a reminder that
>this is coming up!  Call me if you need help or have questions.
>
>John Bianchi 212/979-3026  
>
>
>
>COUNT ONE, COUNT ALL!
>FAMILIES, COMMUNITY GROUPS, INDIVIDUALS ASKED TO "LOG ON"
>FOR GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT 2000
>
>Audubon and Cornell Lab Ask Everyone to Put Their Bird Sightings on the Map
>Ford Motor Company and Wild Birds Unlimited to Sponsor Event
>
>Ithaca, NY January 20 - At the turn of the last century, the Passenger
>Pigeon had become extinct in the wild and very few people even knew.  It's
>too late for the Passenger Pigeon, but it may not be too late for North
>American birds that are currently showing population declines.  The National
>Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have made it easy to help
>these birds and to help ensure common birds stay common. They are asking
>everyone, continent-wide, to take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count,
>February 18-21, 2000.
>
>Through Great Backyard Bird Count 2000, families, classrooms, community
>groups, and individuals of all ages and skill levels can help scientists
>document the abundance and distribution of North America's bird populations
>at the start of the first spring migration of the new millennium.
>
>Participants count the numbers and kinds of birds seen in their backyards,
>local parks, schoolyards, or other areas during any or all of the four count
>days.  All sightings are entered via the Internet at BirdSource
>http://www.birdsource.org an interactive, state-of-the-art web site
>developed by the Cornell Lab and National Audubon.  Results, in the form of
>colorful maps and charts, are available at the web site for all to view as
>quickly as reports arrive over the Internet.
>
>The online nature of the count, combined with widespread citizen
>participation, assists scientists in both the short- and long-term.  "By
>participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count, people from subtropical
>Florida and Hawaii to Arctic Canada and Alaska will help us understand
>better the effects of changing weather and landscape on our birds' abundance
>and distribution patterns," says Dr. Frank Gill, senior vice president for
>science at National Audubon. 
>
>Last year, some 42,000 participants saw large numbers of American Robins
>wintering farther north than usual.  Further research suggested a
>correlation between robin distribution and absence of snow.  For example, in
>the northern peninsula of Michigan, snow cover exceeded 24 inches, and a
>lone robin was reported.  In central and southern parts of the state, where
>snow cover was five inches or less, robins were everywhere.  The data entry
>forms at the GBBC web site will ask participants to provide information
>about snow cover in their area.  How shifts in distribution tie in with
>large-scale weather patterns, such as El Niņo, La Niņa, and global warming,
>has yet to be determined.
>
>Cornell Lab and Audubon researchers emphasize that every observation of
>every bird seen is important, no matter how common the species. Chickadees,
>jays, doves, even the ubiquitous starling and House Sparrow-the GBBC is
>collecting sightings of them all. It fact, the most common birds often
>demonstrate the most important patterns.
>
>-- Over --
>
> "Many birds that are now rare or showing population declines were once
>common.  The Passenger Pigeon, for example, used to occur in flocks of
>thousands and now they're extinct.  Red-headed Woodpeckers have already
>disappeared from much of the northeastern U.S. and are declining throughout
>their range," says Dr. John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of
>Ornithology.  "How tragic it would be for the world to learn that the
>Red-headed Woodpecker, once a household name in many areas, had joined the
>likes of the Carolina Parakeet, the Great Auk, and other extinct species.
>The Great Backyard Bird Count may yield more data about the current
>strongholds of the Red-headed Woodpecker, data that may be used to help
>implement conservation measures before it's too late."
>
>Participants also can help follow up on an emerging conservation success
>story.  "In light of the proposed removal of the Bald Eagle from the list of
>Endangered and Threatened species, we encourage birders this year to pay
>special attention to this national symbol," said Gill.  "American and
>Canadian citizens alike can help scientists monitor the health and abundance
>of this once-endangered bird with an immediacy and breadth never before
>possible."  Thanks to support from Ford Motor Company and Wild Birds
>Unlimited, exclusive sponsors of the GBBC, the web site features special
>pages that provide information about Bald Eagles, including how to
>distinguish them from similar-looking species.
>
>In addition to the eagle feature, the GBBC web site provides educational
>materials ideal for families, Youth groups, and classrooms.  There is a
>"Let's Talk About Birds" vocabulary section, a "Bird-brained Bibliography"
>of reference books, and a "How to Birdwatch" introduction to birding.  Tips
>on feeding birds are also provided, and kids will enjoy watching as their
>postal code appears on the animated map showing reports.  Kids of all ages
>will also enjoy voting for their favorite bird!
>
>"Birding is the fastest-growing outdoor recreation, with some 60 million
>people now participating," says Fitzpatrick.  "If each one of them can spend
>just 15 minutes noting the birds they see during GBBC, even if only while
>sipping their morning coffee, eating lunch, or taking a relaxing stroll,
>imagine the kind of snapshot of North American winter bird distribution this
>would create."
>
>To participate, tally the highest number of each species seen at one time
>(so as not to count the same birds more than once).  Then log on to
>BirdSource http://www.birdsource.org and click on the "Great Backyard Bird
>Count" button.  Directions are provided at the site.  Participation in the
>count is free, and no registration is necessary.  Those without Internet
>access should try their local library, nature center, other community group,
>or call Wild Birds Unlimited toll-free at (800) 326-4928 to find out if the
>franchise nearest you enters customers' reports.  For more information,
>including how to coordinate efforts to enter reports for those who aren't
>online, call the Cornell Lab (800) 843-BIRD (2473) or write them at Cornell
>Lab of Ornithology/GBBC, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY  14850.
>Editors - Photographs are available upon request.
>
>The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution interpreting and
>conserving the earth's biological diversity through research, education, and
>citizen science focused on birds.
>
>Founded in 1905 and supported by 550,000 members in 530 chapters throughout
>the Americas, the National Audubon Society conserves and restores natural
>ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife for the benefit of humanity
>and the earth's biological diversity.
>
>MEDIA CONTACT:
>John Bianchi                    jbianchi@audubon.org
>212/979-3026
>Kara Grobert                    kgrobert@audubon.org
>212/979-3026
>
>
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>
Charleston, SC
vatkins@awod.com