Statewide Birding Report - Great Backyard Bird Count Feb. 15-18
Let the birding begin! The annual Great Backyard Bird Count, sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, www.birdsource.org/gbbc/, begins this weekend. Birders are encouraged to head out this weekend to record birds seen in their yards and local parks. In 2012, Wisconsin birders reported 138 species on more than 2,400 checklists.
Statewide Birding Report
Let the birding begin. The annual Great Backyard Bird Count, sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, www.birdsource.org/gbbc/, begins this weekend. Birders are encouraged to head out this weekend to record birds seen in their yards and local parks. In 2012, Wisconsin birders reported 138 species on more than 2,400 checklists. This survey has proven to be an effective way to track annual and seasonal movements of many wintering and migrant bird species. This year should be an interesting one in Wisconsin as we have a good number of winter finches present around the state. Redpolls are being seen statewide and pine siskins have been around southern Wisconsin since early fall. The past week has also seen many reports of white-winged and red crossbills at feeders. Birders have reported 20 varied thrushes in Wisconsin, making this one of the best seasons ever for this species from the Northwest. We are also starting to get reports of northern owls including some hawk owls and boreal owls across the north. Birders should look for boreal owls hunting near bird feeders during low light conditions and are encouraged to report sightings with a picture to the GBBC and Wisconsin eBird (www.ebird.org/WI). With rains across the southern portion of the state last week, along with more daylight, we are starting to see some waterfowl migration and breeding behavior. Check open water for ducks, geese and trumpeter and tundra swans. Enjoy the birds this weekend and let’s see if we can beat our 2012 numbers for the Great Backyard Bird Count. - Andy Paulios, wildlife biologists and Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative coordinator