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