We Participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count

Happy Sunday Friends!
Today for Sunday Funday we participated in a worldwide bird count. In February, people all over the world count birds together for the Great Backyard Bird Count. This project helps ornithologists (bird experts) understand how and where species of birds are thriving and shifting. Plus, joining in these events is a super easy and fun way for kids to fall in love with their feathered friends, feel part of a large community who care about nature and get interested in science.

We made it fun by finding out which birds we would expect to see by downloading the Merlin Bird App.  Once installed, you can enter your region, and the app will load photos, bird call sounds and information about the birds that make it super easy to identify and count birds! Plus, you can learn about them as you go! If you don't get the app, you can make a simple chart and tally the birds you see, then upload your counts in the computer later. You don't need binoculars to spot or count birds, but having a tool can help kids feel more "official." Having a tool that helps direct where you are looking can also help kids focus. Feel free to offer kid-sized binoculars or make your own using toilet paper tubes, like Taylin did! Once you have your binoculars, head outside! The ideal time is early in the morning, but there are many times of day to try, we went out around 2pm cst and were able to find tons of birds. I did read somewhere tho that around noon birds tend to be the least active. Now just sit back and listen and look. The kids got so excited every time we heard a new sound—adding a count makes the excitement at seeing each bird turbo charged. Track your birds using the app or a simple chart. Or, just have fun looking for and finding birds. Even if you never share your data, just get out there with kids and you are creating a moment for kids to peek into a remarkable event!
It blew my mind that just hearing a bird's call is enough to count that bird, and birds' calls are so unique and rhythmic, they are great to mimic, too. Have fun listening as much as looking. Get silly trying out some of the calls yourselves, too.

Learn about Bird Counts. 

You can read books about bird counts or visit The Great Backyard Bird Count site to learn more about the research and the opportunity to be part of the citizen science work. For example, The Great Backyard bird count runs from Feb 17-20. Here are some of the bird books we read prior to this activity! Just click on the book to check it out!