Spotted Versus Barred

If you have been to the Audubon Center at the Francis Beidler Forest or any wetland forest east of the Mississippi River, you have seen or heard a Barred Owl (Strix varia).

Barred Owl - Mark Musselman

The Associated Press reports that, To save the imperiled spotted owl, the Obama administration is moving forward with a controversial plan to shoot barred owls...

Eric Forsman, a U.S. Forest Service scientist whose work in the 1970s showed how the decline in spotted owls was tied to logging old-growth forests, was skeptical that killing barred owls would make a difference.

“There are not enough shotguns,” he said. “It would be just about like trying to wipe out coyotes.”

The Interior Department will accept public comments on the plan for 90 days.

Barred Owls here in our swamp have a varied diet.  We have previously reported that Barred Owls eat crayfish, ducklings, turtles, young opossums, and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.  It appears that they will eat anything that they can overpower and kill.  It's that attitude that has gotten them in trouble with their smaller cousins in the Pacific Northwest.

Visitors and staff enjoy spotting the Barred Owls during strolls around the boardwalk and sightings will increase through the spring as adults work to feed their growing young.  Spotted Owls are safe in our part of the world, but crayfish should be on high alert!

GBBC - Day 4

Monday was the last day of the Great Backyard Bird Count.  Even though Monday was also a holiday (Presidents' Day), we came to the swamp to count birds!  We tweeted the action from Beidler Forest, which included several close passes by an otter, a beautiful pair of Hooded Mergansers swimming behind the beaver dam, and several Wood Ducks moving stealthily through the cattails under the power lines.

29448, Harleyville, Dorchester County, SC Observation Date : FEB 20, 2012 Start Time: 1:30 PM Total Birding Time: 3 hours 30 minutes Party Size: 1
Skill: good
Weather: excellent
Habitat(s):
    deciduous woods
    coniferous woods
    scrub
    grassland
    agricultural
    rural
    freshwater
Number of Species: 31
All Reported: yes
Checklist:
    Canada Goose - 2
    Wood Duck - 4
    Hooded Merganser - 2
    Black Vulture - 1
    Turkey Vulture - 3
    Red-shouldered Hawk - 2
    Mourning Dove - 5
    Barred Owl - 4
    Belted Kingfisher - 1
    Red-bellied Woodpecker - 3
    Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1
    Downy Woodpecker - 2
    Northern Flicker - 2
    Pileated Woodpecker - 4
    Eastern Phoebe - 1
    American Crow - 7
    Fish Crow - 20
    Carolina Chickadee - 1
    Tufted Titmouse - 2
    White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
    Carolina Wren - 2
    Winter Wren - 1
    Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2
    Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 2
    American Robin - 2
    Northern Mockingbird - 1
    Pine Warbler - 1
    Yellow-rumped Warbler - 2
    Chipping Sparrow - 4
    Northern Cardinal - 4
    American Goldfinch - 2
Comments----------------------------------------
Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest http://beidlerforest.org; clear, 50Fs

We updated the map to include the routes we walked and the area we were able to view during our count.  You can view the GIS map here.  In the menu at the left, the center icon "Show Contents of Map" allows one to check on or off the various layers of data.  Zoom out to see the sites (Summerville area) from the first day of the count.

 Mark you maps to participate in the 2013 GBBC!

Great Backyard Bird Count - Feb. 17th

Although the weather is less than perfect today, you still have a day and a half to help with the Great Backyard Bird Count!  Look at the map of South Carolina and it is not difficult to identify the population centers for our state.

Even if you do not participate in the count, the maps and data are certainly interesting resources for use in the classroom.  Why is it that folks in the rural areas are less likely to participate?  Why are the population centers located where they are?  What is the story with the Greater White-fronted Goose in North Charleston?  Why in 2003-2004 were American Robins reported throughout the eastern United States, while in 2008 the birds were packed along the Gulf Coast and in Florida?

Tufted Titmouse -Mark Musselman

On Friday, the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest education department spent the day counting birds in and around Summerville, SC.  We made our own map, which you can view here.  We began our count early at Azalea Park in the center of Summerville.

29483, Summerville, Dorchester County, SC
Observation Date : FEB 17, 2012
Start Time: 8:00 AM
Total Birding Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Weather: excellent
Habitat(s):
        deciduous woods
        suburban
        freshwater
Number of Species: 24
All Reported: yes
Checklist:
        Turkey Vulture - 1
        Red-bellied Woodpecker - 3
        Downy Woodpecker - 1
        Blue Jay - 4
        American Crow - 5
        Fish Crow - 6
        Carolina Chickadee - 4
        Tufted Titmouse - 3
        White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
        Carolina Wren - 2
        Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2
        Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 3
        Eastern Bluebird - 2
        American Robin - 2
        Northern Mockingbird - 1
        Brown Thrasher - 1
        Cedar Waxwing - 15
        Pine Warbler - 2
        Yellow-rumped Warbler - 8
        White-throated Sparrow - 4
        Northern Cardinal - 14
        blackbird sp. - 2
        House Finch - 2
        American Goldfinch - 1
Comments----------------------------------------
overcast, 50Fs

Next, we moved to The Ponds community west of Summerville on US Hwy 17-A.  We only made it to the tree line before we were busy counting vireos, nuthatches, kinglets, cardinals, titmouse, chickadees, and woodpeckers.  Walking east to one of the ponds, we located coots, grebes, egrets, osprey, an anhinga, a kingfisher and a cormorant.  The threat of precipitation kept our camera in the car.

29485, Summerville, Dorchester County, SC
Observation Date : FEB 17, 2012
Start Time: 9:30 AM
Total Birding Time: 2 hours
Weather: excellent
Habitat(s):
        deciduous woods
        coniferous woods
        scrub
        grassland
        agricultural
        rural
        freshwater
Number of Species: 34
All Reported: yes
Checklist:
        Mallard - 2
        Pied-billed Grebe - 7
        Double-crested Cormorant - 1
        Anhinga - 1
        Great Egret - 1
        Black Vulture - 3
        Turkey Vulture - 1
        Osprey - 2
        Red-shouldered Hawk - 2
        American Coot - 5
        Killdeer - 2
        Belted Kingfisher - 1
        Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
        Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 3
        Downy Woodpecker - 1
        Pileated Woodpecker - 1
        Eastern Phoebe - 1
        White-eyed Vireo - 1
        Blue-headed Vireo - 1
        American Crow - 8
        Carolina Chickadee - 4
        Tufted Titmouse - 5
        White-breasted Nuthatch - 2
        Carolina Wren - 1
        Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2
        Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 3
        Eastern Bluebird - 3
        Hermit Thrush - 2
        Pine Warbler - 2
        Yellow-rumped Warbler - 3
        Eastern Towhee - 2
        Chipping Sparrow - 15
        Northern Cardinal - 2
        House Finch - 1
Comments----------------------------------------
The Ponds community, mostly cloudy, breezy, 60Fs 
 
On our way to Ashley Ridge High School, we spotted a plethora of wading birds in the shallow water of an old sand pit.  The Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, and the solitary Wood Stork flushed before we could even cross the road to the tree line that we thought would screen us from diners in the water-filled pit.  Our approach was not unproductive.  We caught a brief glimpse of a Common Yellowthroat in the dried aquatic plants at the water's edge and then spotted the movement of Rusty Blackbirds foraging through the organic litter in the water below the same dried plants.  Unfortunately, there were enough grasses and branches between us and the birds to prevent a focused image.

female Rusty Blackbird - Mark Musselman

29485, Summerville, Dorchester County, SC
Observation Date : FEB 17, 2012
Start Time: 11:30 AM
Total Birding Time: 30 minutes
Party Size: 1
Skill: good
Weather: excellent
Habitat(s):
        deciduous woods
        coniferous woods
        grassland
        rural
        freshwater
Number of Species: 20
All Reported: no
Checklist:
        Wood Stork - 1 Confirmed
        Great Blue Heron - 5
        Great Egret - 2
        Little Blue Heron - 1
        White Ibis - 8
        Black Vulture - 2
        Turkey Vulture - 3
        Osprey - 1
        Red-shouldered Hawk - 1
        Belted Kingfisher - 1
        Pileated Woodpecker - 1
        American Crow - 3
        Carolina Chickadee - 3
        Eastern Bluebird - 3
        Common Yellowthroat - 1
        Pine Warbler - 1
        Northern Cardinal - 2
        Red-winged Blackbird - 1
        Rusty Blackbird - 20
        American Goldfinch - 2
Comments----------------------------------------
old sand pits off of US 78, overcast, 60Fs

Totally unrelated to birding, there was a bison across the street!

Bison - Mark Musselman

At Ashley Ridge High School, the count began with Killdeer calling from the grassy areas, Northern Mockingbirds battling in the parking lot, and someone getting their Jeep shrink wrapped.

29485, Summerville, Dorchester County, SC
Observation Date : FEB 17, 2012
Start Time: 12:15 PM
Total Birding Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Party Size: 1
Skill: good
Weather: excellent
Habitat(s):
        deciduous woods
        coniferous woods
        scrub
        grassland
        rural
        freshwater
Number of Species: 28
All Reported: yes
Checklist:
        Great Egret - 1
        Turkey Vulture - 3
        Killdeer - 7
        Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2
        Downy Woodpecker - 1
        Northern Flicker - 1
        Pileated Woodpecker - 1
        Eastern Phoebe - 1
        Loggerhead Shrike - 1
        American Crow - 1
        Fish Crow - 2
        crow sp. - 3
        Carolina Chickadee - 6
        Tufted Titmouse - 5
        Carolina Wren - 1
        Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2
        Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1
        Hermit Thrush - 1
        Northern Mockingbird - 4
        Palm Warbler - 1
        Pine Warbler - 1
        Yellow-rumped Warbler - 7
        Chipping Sparrow - 1
        Song Sparrow - 2
        White-throated Sparrow - 8
        Northern Cardinal - 2
        Red-winged Blackbird - 20
        Common Grackle - 10
Comments----------------------------------------
nature trail in small swamp at Ashley Ridge HS, overcast, 60Fs, flushed bobcat during walk

Ditch along trail - Mark Musselman

Swamp along trail - Mark Musselman

Although we did not capture images of any wildlife along the nature trail, we did flush a Bobcat from off in the swamp.  We had stopped to observe the foraging of a Golden-crowned Kinglet and obviously loitered too long for the cat's comfort.  If not for the brief splashing as it crossed the flooded areas, we would never had know of its presence.

Finally, we ended the day at Middleton Place along the Ashley River.  Although the old rice field was drained and not full of duck species like last year, there were plenty of wading bird species clearing out the remaining puddles of water.

White Ibis and Snowy Egret - Mark Musselman

Little Blue Heron - Mark Musselman

Tri-colored Heron - Mark Musselman

Great Egret and Tri-colored Heron - Mark Musselman

29414, Charleston, Charleston County, SC
Observation Date : FEB 17, 2012
Start Time: 1:45 PM
Total Birding Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Party Size: 1
Skill: good
Weather: excellent
Habitat(s):
        deciduous woods
        coniferous woods
        scrub
        grassland
        rural
        freshwater
        salt water
Number of Species: 35
All Reported: yes
Checklist:
        Mute Swan - 2
        Mallard - 2
        Double-crested Cormorant - 9
        Anhinga - 1
        Brown Pelican - 1
        Great Blue Heron - 2
        Great Egret - 3
        Snowy Egret - 11
        Little Blue Heron - 2
        Tricolored Heron - 2
        White Ibis - 9
        Black Vulture - 2
        Turkey Vulture - 7
        Osprey - 1
        Mourning Dove - 1
        Belted Kingfisher - 1
        Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
        Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 4
        American Crow - 4
        Fish Crow - 2
        Carolina Chickadee - 5
        Tufted Titmouse - 1
        Carolina Wren - 1
        Winter Wren - 1
        Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1
        Eastern Bluebird - 1
        Gray Catbird - 2
        Northern Mockingbird - 1
        Pine Warbler - 1
        Yellow-rumped Warbler - 5
        Eastern Towhee - 1
        Chipping Sparrow - 2
        Savannah Sparrow - 6
        White-throated Sparrow - 10
        Northern Cardinal - 8
Comments----------------------------------------
Middleton Place along Ashley River, overcast to partly cloudy, 60Fs

Throughout the gardens, birds foraged and called from within the dense foliage, but a few popped up long enough to pose for a picture.

White-throated Sparrow - Mark Musselman

White-throated Sparrow - Mark Musselman

Gray Catbird - Mark Musselman

Around the various freshwater ponds, we spied plenty of bird life and even some reptiles taking advantage of the warming day!

White Ibis - Mark Musselman

Mallards - Mark Musselman

American Alligators - Mark Musselman

Remember, there is still time to get out in your yard or somewhere nearby and see what birds you can find!

Peacock at Middleton Place - Mark Musselman

Great Backyard Bird Count Begins Tomorrow!

In this issue: what to watch for this year during the count and free information about the Snowy Owl. Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Cornell Lab eNews February 15, 2012 Blue Jay by Marie Lehmann, Florida, 2011 GBBC Are You Ready? The 15th Great Backyard Bird Count starts this Friday! During February 17-20 we invite you to be part of a massive citizen-science effort across North America. Tens of thousands of fellow bird watchers will be counting birds and submitting their checklists to www.birdcount.org. Just watch birds for at least 15 minutes at any location and tally the highest number of each bird species you see at any one time. Submit a new checklist for each day and each new location where you count. Things You Can Do During the Countdown to the GBBC: • Forward this message to neighbors, friends, and relatives, asking them to participate. Every checklist counts! • Fill your bird feeders if you plan to count birds at your feeders. • Charge up your camera batteries so you can capture that perfect picture for the GBBC photo contest, or document a rarity. • If you'd like a preview of the birds you might see in your area, enter your zip or postal code on this web page to get printable tally sheets. American Robin by Jean Hale, Massachusetts, 2011 GBBC Things to Watch for During the GBBC • In past counts, participants were most likely to report American Robins in areas without snow. Will more robins be seen farther north this year? • Will some birds, such as Eastern Phoebes and geese, begin their migrations earlier because of the warmer temperatures and lack of snow or ice in many parts of the country? • Fewer Blue Jays have been reported in the Northeast in recent months; will GBBC reports show the same trend? • Where will the Snowy Owls turn up next? Orange-crowned Warbler by Linda Alley, Texas, 2006 GBBC Sometimes We Just Need a Do-Over! What if you realize you made a mistake on a checklist after you submit it? After you submit your checklists, be sure to check off that you want to receive an email of your report or mark down the ID number you see on the screen after submitting. You’ll use that ID number later if you need to make a correction. There will be a correction link on the home page leading to a form where we’ll ask for your email and the ID number of the faulty report. We will DELETE the ENTIRE checklist and you must submit a new, corrected checklist in the usual way. You can also find your report ID numbers any time by going to My Observations and entering the email address you used. Each day’s report has the ID number listed on it. Free Snowy Owl Info Because the Snowy Owl irruption has captured so much attention in recent months, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is providing free access to comprehensive information about the species from Birds of North America Online, typically only available by subscription. See info To learn more about Snowy Owl sightings, read the eBird article "The Winter of the Snowy Owl." Go Snowy Owl by Kim Graham, Ohio, 2006 GBBC Photographing ducks by John McIntyre, Texas, 2011 GBBC Get the Picture We’ll have a 2012 GBBC photo album set up so you can enjoy some of the images that are uploaded for the annual photo contest. In recent years we’ve been getting 6,000 to 7,000 images and have posted a few hundred of them during the count. Be sure to read over the photo contest rules and terms of use before submitting your entry. Visit Wild Birds Unlimited, a sponsor of the Great Backyard Bird Count! Keep up with us on Facebook and join the flock!  Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road Ithaca, NY 14850 Call toll-free (800) 843-2473 National Audubon Society  225 Varick Street New York, NY 10014 Call: (202) 600-7962 Bird Studies Canada Box 160 Port Rowan, ON N0E 1M0 Canada Call: (888) 448-2473 or (519) 586-3531

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 Bird Studies Canada administers regional, national, and international research and monitoring programs that advance the understanding, appreciation, and conservation of wild birds and their habitats. We are Canada's national body for bird conservation and science, and we are a non-governmental charitable organization. www.birdscanada.org Unsubscribe from the GBBC eNewsletter OR Unsubscribe from all Cornell Lab electronic communications

Fear the Turtle? No, Fear For the Turtle

Previously, we have reported on a fungus affecting amphibians across the globe.  Today, we read in The Washington Post that there is a disease killing box turtles, called ranavirus, which began in amphibians.  In fact, according to article, ranavirus "is believed to have killed nearly every tadpole and young salamander in the study area in Montgomery County’s North Branch Stream Valley Park since spring 2010. The discoveries have alarmed state wildlife officials and biologists, who worry about how far ranavirus has spread, how widely it has affected the ecosystem, and how it apparently jumped between turtles — which are reptiles — and amphibians. If the virus spreads or goes unchecked for long, wildlife experts say, it could devastate some local populations of box turtles, frogs and salamanders. That loss, biologists say, would ripple along the food chain to other animals."

We have not observed any signs of the disease in the Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina) population here at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest, but we will check any turtles we encounter.

Here are some images we have taken over the years which show some of the many looks within the Beidler Forest population.

Eastern Box Turtle - Mark Musselman

Eastern Box Turtle - Mark Musselman

Eastern Box Turtle - Mark Musselman

Eastern Box Turtle - Mark Musselman

Eastern Box Turtle - Mark Musselman

Countdown to GBBC (T-5)

There are only five more days before the beginning of the Great Backyard Bird Count!

Northern Cardinal - Mark Musselman

Remember, even if you can only identify the Northern Cardinal shown above, you CAN participate in the GBBC!  Check here to see South Carolina's results from 1998-2011.  Help fill in some of the gaps on the map.

We will be counting along the boardwalk at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest,  but you can also join us on Friday in Summerville.

Local Audubon South Carolina GBBC events:

Mark Musselman, education director at the Francis Beidler Forest, will be birding at various sites around Summerville on Day 1 (Friday, February 17th).  The count will begin at the parking area near the tennis courts in Azalea Park at 8:30 a.m.  Other stops may include the nature trail at Ashley Ridge High School, The Ponds community, and Middleton Place.  Anyone can join him for all or part of the day, especially those looking to learn about birding or improve their bird identification skills.  Anyone wishing to join this group or simply to follow the progress can check @TheSwampThing (http://twitter.com/#!/TheSwampThing) on Twitter.  Though a pair of binoculars will be useful, only a healthy curiosity is required!

Hawk Commotion

As soon as we posted about the early spring, the weather began a slight cooling trend.  Cloudy, cooler weather has done nothing to dampen the spirits of the Red-shouldered Hawks (Buteo lineatus) as they called incessantly just above the treetops of the old-growth swamp at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest.  Even the loud drumming and calling of a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus) could not compete with the pair of hawks circling the area above and north of the picnic tables.

Red-shouldered Hawk outside the office - Mark Musselman

Last year, a pair (possibly the same pair as seen and heard today) built a nest in the crook of a pine tree near the bus loop picnic tables.  Two fuzzy chicks were observed in the nest as they received food from the regularly visiting adults.  However, we were not present to see if the chicks fledged.

Red-shouldered Hawk chick in nest - Mark Musselman

Red-shouldered Hawk chick in nest - Mark Musselman

Today, we observed adult hawks making quick visits to the old nest site.  Although we did not observe anything being carrying to the nest site, it is possible that they are preparing the nest for use this year.  We'll keep an eye on their activities during our lunch breaks in the future.

Is it Still Winter?

Is it still winter or has spring already begun?  According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), spring begins this year at 14 minutes past midnight on March 20th (EST).  However, at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest there are signs that spring is getting a jump on itself.

Red Maple (Acer rubrum) is adding color to the nearly leafless swamp, but it can bloom as early as January, so we will give it a pass. Butterweed (Packera glabella), however, is not supposed to start blooming until March at the earliest.  Currently, butterweed is blooming in the sunny area near #15 created when the snow storm of '10 tipped over a Laurel Oak (Quercus laurifolia) and opened a space in the canopy.

Butterweed- Mark Musselman

Spotted Turtles (Clemmys guttata) have been observed along the edge of the swamp where the boardwalk makes its return loop.  Some individuals are simply basking on logs and catching the sun's rays, while some males are busy chasing after females.  For the record, although the warming weather has the male turtles feeling like spring, the speed at which the females were fleeing seemed to indicate that they still had winter on their minds.

Spotted Turtle - Mark Musselman

We too are not immune to the pull of spring-like weather.  Last week, we headed out to Middleton Place for a Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) practice run.  We spied a variety of birds, but the highlights were a Tri-colored Heron (Egretta tricolor) fishing in the water-depleted rice field and an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) eating a fish high in a snag.  We wonder how the mild winter will affect the number and variety of bird species we will see during this year's GBBC.  Check here to see where we will be birding.

Tri-colored Heron with fish - Mark Musselman

Tri-colored Heron - Mark Musselman

Osprey with fish - Mark Musselman

It is highly unlikely (let's say close to impossible) that we will see any Prothonotary Warblers during the GBBC, but will they return to Beidler Forest before their normal arrival in the last few days of March?

Male Prothonotary Warbler - Mark Musselman

Stay tuned!

Great Backyard Bird Count is in Two Weeks

The 2012 Great Backyard Bird Count

Friday, February 17, through Monday, February 20.

Please join us!

The Great Backyard Bird Count 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 across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes or longer, if one wishes, on a single day or on each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds.

Acadian Flycatcher - Image by Mark Musselman

Participants count birds anywhere for 15 minutes or longer during the four-day period. They tally the highest number of birds of each species seen together at any one time. For example, if three robins are spotted in the yard, the count for robins would be three.  Later, if a single robin is spotted in the yard, the count for robins would remain at three (most seen at one time) and not increase to four.  Participants can report their counts by filling out an online checklist at the Great Backyard Bird Count website at http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/.

As the count progresses, anyone with Internet access can explore what is being reported from their own towns or anywhere in the United States and Canada. They can also see how this year's numbers compare with those from previous years. Participants may also send in photographs of the birds they see. This is a tremendous opportunity for teachers to address science, social studies and math standards while helping scientists learn about birds in our hemisphere!

By knowing where the birds are, scientists and bird enthusiasts can learn much regarding the current state of birds. Bird populations are dynamic; they are constantly in flux. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to document the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time.

The GBBC is a citizen-science project where everybody’s help, no matter how small, is valuable. Help make sure the birds from our community are well-represented in the count. It does not matter whether a report is for five species on a backyard feeder or during a walk through the neighborhood or for 25 species spotted during a day's outing to the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest.

It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!

http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/

1. Plan to count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count. You can count for longer than that if you wish! Count birds in as many places and on as many days as you like. Submit a separate checklist for each new day. You can also submit more than one checklist per day if you count in other locations on that day.

2. Count the greatest number of individuals of each species that you see together at any one time. You may find it helpful to print out your regional bird checklist to get an idea of the kinds of birds you're likely to see in your area in February.

3. When you're finished, enter your results through the GBBC web page. The button marked "Enter Your Checklists!" will appear on the website home page beginning on the first day of the count. It will remain active until the deadline for data submission on March 1st.

Local Audubon South Carolina GBBC events:

Mark Musselman, education director at the Francis Beidler Forest, will be birding at various sites around Summerville on Day 1 (Friday, February 17th).  The count will begin at the parking area near the tennis courts in Azalea Park at 8:30 a.m.  Other stops may include the nature trail at Ashley Ridge High School, The Ponds community, and Middleton Place.  Anyone can join him for all or part of the day, especially those looking to learn about birding or improve their bird identification skills.  Anyone wishing to join this group or simply to follow the progress can check @TheSwampThing (http://twitter.com/#!/TheSwampThing) on Twitter.  Though a pair of binoculars will be useful, only a healthy curiosity is required!