Feb 07, 2019 1, 2, 3. Birds!
Looking for something fun, free and helpful to do with your kiddos? Join the Great Backyard Bird Count!
The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is an annual event held in February. Participants are asked to become citizen scientists, venturing outdoors for at least 15 minutes on one or any of the days dedicated to the GBBC to tally the different numbers and kinds of birds you see and submit your results. This year, the GBBC will be held February 15-18th.
Why count birds? By counting the birds visiting your yard, park or natural area, you are helping scientists track things about different bird species such as migration patterns, bird diversity, climate influence on bird populations, and much more! According to the GBBC website, last year over 180,000 checklists were submitted from more than 100 countries identifying 6400+ species of birds. That’s pretty amazing!
The Library is holding its own program called 1, 2, 3. Birds! for preschool aged children on Tuesday, February 12th at 10:30am to help kiddos practice identifying and counting birds so they are ready for the GBBC later that week! Miss Kelli will be reading a few bird books, practice counting with the kids, guiding participants in art of bird watching, and leading a craft designed to attract birds to your backyard. Registration is required.
Can’t make the program and want to learn more? Visit the GBBC website to learn how you can participate, watch this helpful video from TIME for Kids on identifying the most popular birds that appear in the count, and of course, visit the Library to check out some books on birds!
If you and your kiddos do decide to put your citizen science caps on and participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count, let us know next time you stop by the library! We’ll have more citizen scientist opportunities for families coming up in April, so keep your eye on our events calendar!
Happy bird counting!