Birding the Adirondacks:
Great Backyard Bird Count
12 - 15 February 2016

Snowshoe Birding at the VIC.

Common Redpoll at the Paul Smith's College VIC feeders.

This weekend is your chance to take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count. First launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count helps scientists document and understand the distribution of birds and how weather and climate change influence bird populations.

It's easy, fun, and rewarding:

• Participating in the bird count requires as little as 15 minutes of your time.
• You don't need to be a scientist or a birding expert.
• Taking part in the count is a great excuse to get outside for a brisk ski or snowshoe or (if you prefer) to spend some quiet time monitoring feeder birds from the comfort of a warm room.

In 2015, Great Backyard Bird Count participants in more than 100 countries counted 5,090 species of birds on more than 147,000 checklists. This year is of particular interest in the Adirondacks; because our region is experiencing an El Nino winter, vagrant birds are being found in places we never expected (e.g., Painted Bunting in New York City in December, and American White Pelican in Syracuse in January).

The VIC will be registering birds all weekend at both our feeders and out on the trails; so anyone looking for a community birding experience is welcome to drop in and join us.

Based on eBird checklists, species seen during February at the VIC include:

References

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology. All About Birds: Great Backyard Bird Count.
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology. All About Birds: Printable February Checklist of Birds for Paul Smiths (PDF).
• eBird Checklists for the Paul Smith's College VIC in February.
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Merlin Bird ID App
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Merlin Bird Photo ID (BETA version, under development).
• Alan Bessette and William K. Chapman. Birds of the Adirondacks. A Field Guide (Utica: North Country Books, 1993).