‘For a love of birds’: Backyard bird count inspires citizens to become scientists
Had Kerrie Wilcox been counting the birds in her work backyard, the checklist would have included a significant number of sandhill cranes.
We'll say 75," the Canadian leader of the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) smiled, elevating her gaze as another half dozen soared overhead Birds Canada's Port Rowan-area facility.
The 26th annual GBBC is scheduled for Family Day weekend (Feb. 17 to 20). Any time during this four-day period, birders of any experience level are invited to volunteer at least 15 minutes to count, record and submit data on the birds they see in locations of their choice. The collaborative effort between Birds Canada, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society involves citizen scientist volunteers from around the world.
Scientists can't be everywhere, so we're relying on the eyes of the world to send us what's going on in their backyard," Wilcox explained.
In 2022, an estimated 385,000 individuals from 192 countries submitted checklists recording more than 7,000 species. The immense resultant database is invaluable in identifying trends in bird populations in the face of challenges, including climate change and habitat loss.
Given the estimated 6,000 sandhill cranes spending the winter in the Long Point area this year, should the weather hold, participants heading in that direction can comfortably expect to put them on their list. Tall (1.2-metre) birds with broad two-metre wingspans and a distinctive red patch on the crown of their head, sandhills are a big, sexy" target for the most novice of birders even without their distinctive haunting, chuckling call.
They're so cool," Wilcox said of a bird one could easily imagine holding an aural and visual evolutionary tie to flying dinosaurs.
Beyond sandhill cranes' undeniable cool" factor, cooler yet to ornithologists is the fact seeing one in the area was rare indeed 20 years ago when Wilcox began with Birds Canada.
When I first came down here it was just so exciting to see a sandhill crane," she explained. They just weren't here at all."
European expansion in North America led to a sharp population decline due to habitat loss (draining wetlands) and uncontrolled hunting. However, the eastern North American population is currently increasing, with Long Point representing more than a spring and fall migratory stopover. With no and low-till farming practices providing more available feed, less snow cover, and an open bay due to a mild winter, early 2023 has seen a significant population dividing their time between the marshes along the causeway and local fields.
GBBC data over the years helps identify and quantify trends like the sandhill cranes, creating better understanding and supporting bird conservancy.
We can monitor changes from year to year, see if birds are maybe migrating earlier, spending winters further north. There are so many questions we can answer with this data."
The GBBC's inception was a test, says Wilcox, to see if people would go out, count birds and record their observations online. Unqualified success sparked the eBird registry among other citizen science initiatives. Birds Canada came on board in 2009, promoting Canadian participation while encouraging deeper connections with the organization.
GBBC volunteers can record their avian observations from as little as 15 minutes one of the four days, with no real upper limit. If it's cold out, stay inside and count through your window, Wilcox suggests. If it's nice, go to a favourite park or other location or take a walk or hike.
We're considering everything your backyard," she smiled. We just ask you to submit a new checklist for every time you watch the birds and a new checklist for each location."
A bird identification guide and pair of binoculars are useful, and there are identification resources on both birdscanada.org and birdcount.org websites. Wilcox also notes many will be surprised at how many species they already recognize. Birding certainly contains a competitive element, with some participants striving for bragging rights for hours in the field, checklists, species count and unusual species. But each checklist is important, including seemingly mundane data on the most common of birds.
The website birdcount.org/participate explains three methods of entering data: printing a checklist to manually enter on eBird via computer; the eBird mobile app; and the Merlin Bird ID. The latter is a free smartphone app particularly helpful to new birders. Available in 18 languages and covering species from seven continents, it aids with identification based on location, date of sighting and pertinent questions. Based on response, a variety of species choices will be presented.
A free identification webinar is scheduled for Feb. 15 from 1 to 2 p.m. Experts from the three collaborating organizations will host a live Q&A session, including tips for making birdwatching easier for people of all ages and abilities. The registration portal is also on the birdcount.org/participate webpage.
Canada punched above its weight in 2022, according to eBird statistics, submitting close to 30,000 checklists from every province and territory featuring 255 species. Canadians were third globally in terms of checklists and well above one (United States, 200,842) and two (India, 42,275) as a percentage of population. An additional 20,000 Canadians inputted birds via Merlin, Wilcox added.
It brings the world together for a love of birds," she said. So it's been really great."
Hamilton Naturalist Club member Deena Errampalli of Grimsby is looking forward to her fourth GBBC. A retired research scientist formerly with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Errampalli has gone from zero to 604 in the world of birding. Her impressive list of confirmed sightings of individual species has been compiled since an impromptu decision to accompany an hour-and-a-half tour during a 2016 Mexican vacation.
We saw 27 species," she recalled, including the northern cardinal, a sensation south of the Rio Grande, if not in Errampalli's own backyard. Since that day, Errampalli has embraced the pastime globally with husband Andrew Piggott, adding another 577 species. Birdwatching is a very addictive hobby."
It served her well during the pandemic with its restrictions on social gatherings.
But you could go into nature," Errampalli said, extolling birding's physical and mental-health attributes, along with the social opportunities it has led to. She joined The Larks" in August 2020, a convivial flock of female birders meeting Monday mornings. Errampalli also organized a guess who's coming to the feeder" pandemic relief winged-visitor count among her church community, giving out prizes to a 20-member group who shared a positive, educational activity.
Previously, they were birds," she explained. Now they have a name."
Errampalli was introduced to the GBBC through fellow birders and has found the initiative both enjoyable and productive. Her own background lends an understanding of the compiled data's importance in terms of research and trends.
And it gives us warnings if we need to be warned."
Errampalli would highly recommend others consider giving the GBBC a try, with one simple caveat around birdwatching's addictive nature.
That happens to a lot of people," she concluded with a laugh. Be warned, it's a very addictive thing.
A good addiction, actually."