The Zen Birdfeeder

Top 5 FAQs about the Great Backyard Bird Count

 

We love to encourage our customers to participate in citizen science projects, especially the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), which is held annually over the 4-day Presidents Day Weekend.  This year the dates are February 17-18-19-20.

 

 

 

Here's the Top 5 questions we get asked about the GBBC:

What if you don't know what the bird is?
Do your best to identify the bird using a bird guide or online resources.  If you can't positively identify it, ask us at Wild Birds Unlimited, we might be able to help.  Bringing a photograph in and/or good notes will help.  If the bird just can't be identified, that's fine, you just won't report it.

I've had a hawk fly through the yard during a count that I was unable to identify.  I couldn't tell whether it was a Cooper's Hawk or a Sharp-shinned Hawk.  I wish I could've reported it, but I couldn't clearly identify it, so it went unreported.  Don't worry - it just happens!

How long of a time do you need to count?
All it takes is a minimum of 15 minutes.  If you have longer, that's great too!

You can count multiple times over the 4-day count period (and hope you do).  You can even count multiple times on a day.  For example, you count in the morning before you go to work, and then again when you get home.  This would be submitted as two separate checklists.

I'm not going to be at my own house; can I count someplace else?
Sure.  One year, I did Day 4 while visiting a friend in Old Forge, NY. 

If I see a male bird one time and a female bird the next time, I count 2, right?
No, unless you see the male and female bird at the same time.  Why not? Consistency; this is the surest way to ensure that everyone that counts, counts in the same manner.

Do I count the birds I see in the sky?
If you can clearly identify them, yes, include them in your count.

Enjoy counting the birds this weekend in the Great Backyard Bird Count.  Wild Birds Unlimited is proud to be a sponsor of this citizen science project!

Juncos by the Numbers 2

 

 

9-12    days after hatching that young juncos leave the nest.

 3        the rank of the junco in the 2011 Great Backyard Bird Count as Most Frequently Reported Bird.

0        percent of the time that juncos were observed in the canopy of large trees (during a New Hampshire study on junco foraging habitats).

20-80    percent of the time that junco nests fail due to predation.

3-5    the number of eggs in a typical junco nest.

10    acre area that wintering flocks of juncos stay within.

2        the rank of the junco in overall population in North America, second only to the American Robin.

Read more Juncos by the Numbers

Based on material provided by WBU, Inc.

Return of the Birds?

As I wrap up my 11th week of counting for the Project FeederWatch season, the birds finally seem to be coming back!

We're having an awful winter here in upstate New York: above average temperatures and below average snow.  In fact, essentially NO snow.  No ice.  And lots of natural food sources still available and accessible.  All the makins' of poor activity at bird feeders.

Here's an insect that was outside on my window on the 1st of February!

In fact, on my FeederWatch days, the temperatures have averaged 5 degrees above freezing.  The ground was snow-free until January 23, and even now, each snow cover we get is followed by warm temperatures or rain.

Until our first decent snowfall just a couple weeks ago, I averaged only 8 species at my feeders.  For comparison, over the last 7 Project FeederWatch seasons, I average 12 species, 50% more!  And the number of individual birds each count period averaged only 46.  Again, this is WAY down compared to my previous seasons' average of 71 birds.

Two Blue Jays on a overcast winter day

I knew things were bad when I had very few Blue Jays around.  Blue Jays for gosh sakes!!   Blue Jay populations have been increasing around my area and I've had jay counts in the thirties!  So I really notice the difference when there's no blue in the yard and I average only 5 jays.

16 Blue Jays fill the plum tree

But...things MAY be looking up (where's the wood to knock on?)  Since we got a little snow, the jay numbers are up (25 this week!)  Dark-eyed Juncos are up too; 31 of these guys shared the ground beneath the feeders with 21 Mourning Doves.

Female Northern Cardinal

But I've also had the return of a couple birds that have been absent this winter.  Mrs. Northern Cardinal has pretty regularly now been making at least one visit a day to the yard.  A couple Tufted Titmice finally visited the feeders over the weekend and I was glad that at least one of them showed up on count day.  And I was was very happy to have a couple Purple Finches drop by!  They breed in the area, but are infrequent visitors during the winter months.  Even an American Robin stopped by, since there are still berries on some shrubs in my yard.

Tufted Titmouse at a heated birdbath

  

American Robin enjoying berries

But alas, today is warm and rainy again and I expect that what remains of the snow cover will soon disappear.  My 2011-12 Project FeederWatch season is slipping away, but I have to remember that low bird counts tell scientists as much as high bird counts do.  Small consolation to a girl that just wants a little more birdlife in her yard.  Is that too much to ask?

WBU Year in Review 2011

For us, 2011 will be a year we will not likely forget.  We had our lows, with the economy ending up in our discussions just a little too frequently, especially during the second half of the year.  But we had many highs as well; here are some we're particularly proud of:

- In February, the Associated Press contacted us for an interview about the upcoming Great Backyard Bird Count.  We welcomed AP writer Mary Esch and AP photographer Tim Roske to our home, where we watched and talked about birds over some Bird-friendly® coffee and warm scones.

The resultant AP story with our quote and pictures of our birds at feeders showed up online at the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, NPR, Albany Times Union as well as dozens of other news organizations, print and online, all across the country.

- One week later, our 24-hour news network YNN visited our home for another interview about the Great Backyard Bird Count.  We were thrilled with a nice 1-1/2 minute piece encouraging participation in the count.  It ran locally, but also in Ithaca and one customer saw it in Rochester!

- We stirred up enough local interest in the Great Backyard Bird Count that Saratoga Springs ended up #4 in NY state with 73 checklists submitted and Gansevoort was #8 with 47 checklists submitted.  Here's a list of all localities in NY that had checklists submitted.

- We were honored to be asked to be an Official Blogger at September's Midwest Birding Symposium. Our posts highlighted symposium speakers wildlife photographer Marie Read, Ben Lizdas of Eagle Optics, and the Birdcall Lady Nicolle Peretta and told of the Guinness World Record we set imitating a Barred Owl call.

- We were thrilled (and just a little nervous, to be honest) to be asked to write the Cover Species article about the Common Redpoll for the November/December 2011 issue of BirdWatcher's Digest.  Here's a link to an excerpt from our Species Profile of the Common Redpoll.

- At the invitation of local birding expert Rich Guthrie, Nancy was a guest on the Northeast Public Radio WAMC Vox Pop call-in radio program on December 7.  Here's a link to listen to the show. 

- On December 11, international birder Richard Crossley visited our store to sign copies of his revolutionary book, The Crossley ID Guide.  WBU customers Paul Pacco, Lindsey Duval, and Robin Laurenzo bought their guide at WBU and won the opportunity to have lunch with Richard. 

- We've always taken our responsibility to the community seriously.  This fall, we turned our focus to the Franklin Community Center Food pantry.  We and our customers are fortunate to have the resources to feed the birds; many people in our area have trouble finding the resources to just feed themselves. 

In October, we hosted a "Garage Sale" selling used, repaired, swapped, and donated feeders and gave 100% of the proceeds, $273, to the Food Pantry.

We also hosted a food drive during our Open House in December.  We gave a Birdseed Bell to anyone who donated a non-perishable food item.  33 customers donated food, and we were able to deliver 130 pounds of food to the Food Pantry.

-  All in all we had a good year; not our best as far as sales are concerned, and we're always striving to improve.  We love what our little shop does: we help thousands of people enhance their enjoyment of the birdfeeding hobby.  How great is that for a "job"???  And last year, we had nearly 900 new customers through our doors - we're so excited to introduce new people to this wonderful hobby!

For 2012, we're looking forward to more fun, adventures, experiences, and discoveries.  We already have a new product in line to introduce to you early in 2012 (we're teasing you with a picture clip of it below!)  We wish you a year of magical birdfeeding!

Coming soon to WBU!!

My "Old Faithful" Birds

I start my Project FeederWatch counting today under less-than-ideal circumstances: bird activity at my feeders has been slo-ow! 

There's still an abundance of natural food sources out there that birds are feasting on - seeds, nuts, fruits, berries, bugs and insects.  The temperatures have not been consistently cold enough to kill off insects and we don't have any snow cover to hide fallen seeds and nuts off the trees and shrubs.  There's still berries on bittersweet and barberries, though the mountain ash berries were cleared off earlier in the fall. 

Blue Jay

I see birds around, but they're more likely foraging in the trees or on the ground than on my feeders.  They've been active at the birdbaths too. 

Nevertheless, I do have a list of birds I'm confident I'll be able to include in my two-day FeederWatch count.  They are my "old faithful birds" - birds that are just about guaranteed to make a quick stop at a feeder sometime during the day, no matter how SLOW feeder activity has been.

Black-capped Chickadees enjoying WBU Stackables

Here's my six Old Faithful birds who never let me down:

• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Mourning Dove
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Downy Woodpecker
• Dark-eyed Junco

Dark-eyed Junco eating Bark Butter® on
our new Double Decker Feeder

I love my old faithful birds; I really do count on them to be there, day-in and day-out, to add color and life to my yard.  They may not be here in large numbers, but at least one WILL show up.

I bet you have "old faithfuls" too.  Let us know who the old faithful birds are in YOUR yard!

WBU's Own Great Backyard Bird Count 2011

The 14th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is over and nearly 92,000 checklists have been submitted.  While that falls short of the 96,842 checklists submitted in 2010, here at Wild Birds Unlimited - Saratoga Springs, our count numbers were up - up - up!

The Great Backyard Bird Count is just one of the citizen science projects conducted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  It is an important project that we at WBU all support and participate in.  We talk it up in the weeks leading up to the count, and we offered our customers some rewards for their participation:  an Eastern Yardbirds Poster, NYS Checklist of the Birds, and 2 pounds of WBU Choice blend.  For two or more checklists, we added a basic peanut feeder and the first fill of peanuts.

We also entered each checklist in a drawing for a WBU Advanced Pole System basic set-up.  We are happy to announce that Sandra Martin of Corinth won the drawing.  She picked up her new pole system the day she found out - we think she was a little excited!!  Sandra counted every day of the count and submitted 4 checklists for us to tally.  Thank you for your participation, Sandra, and congratulations!

GOOD PRESS BEFORE THE COUNT

A week before the count weekend, we were contacted for an interview by Mary Esch of the Associated Press.  Cornell Lab of Ornithology had pointed her in our direction for information about the count from a participant's point of view.  We invited Mary and AP photographer Tim Roske to our home to give them an idea of what participating in a backyard bird count was really like.  We brewed up a pot of Bird-Friendly® Birds & Beans™ shade-grown coffee, baked up some warm scones, and together we watched birds at the feeders on a beautiful, sunny winter morning.

Mary's article and many of Tim's images of our birds and birdfeeders hit the AP wire on Monday February 14.  The story was picked up by many news outlets across the country, including NPR.com, Wall Street Journal.com, the Huffington Post, just to name a few..

A few days later, we were contacted by CJ Spang of YNN, our local 24-hour news network, who was also doing a story on the count.  CJ set up his video camera on our deck, and the birds put on a nice show for him.  The piece hit YNN news just hours later, and it was picked up by affiliates throughout New York state.  Follow this link to the YNN piece, which lasts about a minute and a half.

Needless to say, Lois and I were elated to help spread the word about the Great Backyard Bird Count, not only in our store, but across the state, and even across the country! 

LOCAL PARTICIPATION

Well, the customers of WBU - Saratoga Springs counted the birds in record numbers.  We received 139 checklists (3 times more than last year) from 51 different customers (twice as many as last year).  That's an average of more than 2 checklists per customer! 

The checklists came from 31 different locations ranging from Albany and Troy to the south, Greenwich and Schaghticoke to the east, Middle Grove and Greenfield west, and north up to Ticonderoga and Diamond Point.  Gordon B., a customer from Huntington Quebec, even dropped off his checklist to be included in our counts!

WBU Customer Checklists Submitted - Top 5 Locations
Saratoga Springs        31
Gansevoort/Wilton    17
Ballston Spa/Malta    14
Schuylerville                9
Queensbury                6

In the nationwide count, New York submitted the most checklists of any state and communities in our area were right near the top.  Saratoga Springs ranked #4 in the entire state with 73 checklists submitted, behind Bay Shore (Long Island), Ithaca (home of the Cornell Lab), and Rochester.  Gansevoort was tied for 8th behind big cities like Syracuse, Staten Island, and Buffalo.  And Ballston Spa finished in the top 20!  This is just amazing!!

LOCAL BIRD COUNTS

WBU Customers: Number of Species Reported                55 (up from 28 in the 2010 count)

WBU Customers: Number of Individual Birds Reported   5,057 (up from 1,609 in 2010)

WBU Customers: Most Frequently Reported Birds
    Black capped Chickadee        On 115 of 139 checklists
    Tufted Titmouse                   On 97 checklists
    Dark-eyed Junco                   On 82 checklists 
    Downy Woodpecker              On 81 checklists
   
WBU Customers: Most Numerous Birds
    Common Redpoll                 488 individuals
    Canada Goose                     463 individuals
    Black-capped Chickadee     402 individuals
    Dark-eyed Junco                401 individuals
    American Goldfinch            370 individuals   

Interesting Observations

• The Common Redpoll was the most numerous bird but appeared on only 19 checklists.  Even though we're in an irruption year, their presence is not as widespread as in some previous irruption years.
• While many customers in the store are asking where their American Goldfinches are, it's obvious that they're still in the area.  They were the 5th most reported bird, appearing on 40% of the checklists submitted.
• In all New York, the most reported bird was the chickadee, followed by the cardinal, junco, and downy.  Since a number of our reports came from more rural areas, the cardinal did not make our top 4 list.
• We had more customers counting waterfowl this year, which accounted for checklists that included birds like the American Black Duck, Common Mergansers, and even 2 reports of a Tundra Swan.
• Even while winter visitors like redpolls, Pine Siskins, and Snow Buntings showed up in our count, we also saw reports of early spring arrivals like Red-winged Blackbirds and Brown-headed Cowbirds.
• Our results reflect the expansion in range of the Carolina Wren, that appeared on 16 checklists, and the Red-bellied Woodpecker, that appeared on 28 checklists.  

Follow this link to explore more results from the GBBC site.

We want to thank everyone, and ESPECIALLY our Wild Birds Unlimited - Saratoga Springs customers, who participated in this year's Great Backyard Bird Count.  Your enthusiasm for this citizen science project just blew us away!  THANK YOU!!!

Great Backyard Bird Count - It's Easier Than You Think!

If you've thought about doing the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) but felt you were too much of a beginning bird person, think again!  Here's how easy it can be to count the birds at your feeders.

GETTING STARTED

• Jot down these things when you start (you'll be asked this when you submit your counts online):

1. Date and Time
2. Depth of snow in your yard
3. Weather conditions: Poor, Fair, Good, or Excellent
4. Take note of the habitat around you (deciduous woods, coniferous woods, scrub, grassland, agricultural, rural, suburban, urban, freshwater, salt water). 

• Now, pour yourself a cup of Bird-friendly coffee and sit down in your favorite spot to watch the birds.

HOW TO COUNT

You can count for as short as 15 minutes, or you can count all day long.  You can count looking out your window.  Or you can count outside in a park, cemetery, or trail.  You'll count birds at your feeders, in the trees and bushes, on the ground, and in the air.

Here's how:

Each time you see a bird species, count how many you see.  The next time you see that species, count them again.  You'll report the HIGHEST NUMBER you saw at any one time for each bird species you report.

Example:
The first time you look out at your yard, you see 1 Blue Jay on a feeder and one on a tree; 1 Hairy Woodpecker on a feeder; 2 Black-capped Chickadees on a feeder and 1 in a bush; 6 Dark-eyed Juncos on the ground.

You record:
Blue Jay 2
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Black-capped Chickadee  3
Dark-eyed Junco  6

A couple minutes later, you see 1 Downy Woodpecker on a feeder.

Now your list looks like this:
Blue Jay 2
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Black-capped Chickadee  3
Dark-eyed Junco  6
Downy Woodpecker  1

Five minutes later, you see 3 Blue Jays, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 5 Black-capped Chickadees, 2 Dark-eyed Juncos and a Tufted Titmouse.

Here's your list now:
Blue Jay 2 3
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Black-capped Chickadee  3 5
Dark-eyed Junco  6
Downy Woodpecker  1
Tufted Titmouse 1

You've recorded the most birds you saw at one time of each species.  Easy!

If you have trouble identifying a bird, check a bird field guide.  Birdfeeding hobby shops like your local Wild Birds Unlimited are sure to be helpful too.  If you just can't identify the bird, just don't report it.  That's fine and perfectly acceptable and better than reporting a bird that really wasn't there! 

ENTER YOUR COUNTS ONLINE

Go to the Submit Your Bird Checklist link on the GBBC site and complete the form.  That's all there is to it!

NOW YOU'RE A CITIZEN SCIENTIST!

Just by taking these easy steps, you've become a Citizen Scientist! You will join thousands of other birdfeeders just like you in becoming eyes in the field for the scientists.  The information you submit will help us all understand birds more.

Turn your kids onto nature by involving them in the Great Backyard Bird Count.  The GBBC runs for 4 days over President's Day Weekend (Friday through Monday) each year.  Have fun and thank you for counting the birds!

Top 3 Birds from Great Backyard Bird Count 2010

As we get ready for this year's Great Backyard Bird Count that starts this Friday, here's a recap of the most frequently reported birds from last year's count:

CONTINENT-WIDE
#1 Northern Cardinal
#2 Dark-eyed Junco
#3 Mourning Dove

 

 
NEW YORK
#1 Black-capped Chickadee
#2 Northern Cardinal
#3 Downy Woodpecker

 

SARATOGA SPRINGS NY
#1 Black-capped Chickadee
#2 Tufted Titmouse
#3 White-breasted Nuthatch

 

CUSTOMERS OF WILD BIRDS UNLIMITED - SARATOGA
#1 Black-capped Chickadee
#2 Tufted Titmouse
#3 Downy Woodpecker

Counting is as easy as 1-2-3!  Find out how on the Great Backyard Bird Count website.

Five Ways to Better Identify Birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count

As a Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) participant, you may see birds you don’t know. To identify lesser-known birds, practice answering the following questions, looking at a bird from the top down.

1. Silhouette

Look at the bird’s overall size, shape and posture. Is it the size of something familiar like a sparrow, robin or crow?  How does it sit, perch or fly?

2. Head Markings

Does the bird have a colorful or striped cap, also known as a crown? Is there a stripe above or through the eye, or does it have an eye ring or “spectacles?” Look for cheek patches or a mustache. Is there a white throat patch?

3. Body Markings

What are the overall back, breast and belly colors? What’s on the chest:  a patch, spots, streaks, or is it clear? Are the flanks (sides of body) clear or streaked? Is there a white or yellow rump patch?

4. Wing Markings

Are the wings a different color than the body? Are there wing bars or spots?

5. Tail Shape and Markings

Is the tail long or short compared to the body? Is it forked, squared, pointed or another shape? Are there certain colors or vertical or horizontal stripes?

---

Make sure you have a nice pair of binoculars on hand to provide you clear views of these features.  Have your field guide ready as well to help you determine a bird’s identity.  But remember: take note of a bird's features FIRST before reaching for your field guide.  Birds fly away, books don't!!

With practice, you will quickly gather all the clues you need to positively identify birds.  For more tips on how to better identify birds, visit www.birdsource.org/gbbc.

Based on material provided by WBU, Inc.

Birds Kind of Slow: Mid-Winter Project FeederWatch Report

A Tufted Titmouse enjoys some open drinking water

It's just past mid-winter in this season's Project FeederWatch counts.  I've missed a couple of weeks, but have had enough counts to make some overall observations.

Over 11 weeks of counting, here's what I've been seeing:
- 11 average bird species each week
- 67 average individual birds each week
- 12 high species count (November)
- 122 high individual count (redpolls in early January)
- 14 different species seen

Common Redpoll

Compared to my Project FeederWatches since 2004, this winter has been a little slow.  I've seen fewer species each week and am seeing fewer birds overall, especially considering this is a winter finch irruption year.  Common Redpolls showed up in early January (about normal arrival for an irruption year), but their numbers have been smaller and their feeder visits shorter and less frequent.  In the winter of 2007-08, I had a redpoll count as high as 200!  This year's high redpoll count has been 60. 

Customers at our Wild Birds Unlimited store seem to be experiencing the same thing: occasional redpoll visits but not any huge flocks.

During winter finch irruption years, I often enjoy a visit from Evening Grosbeaks as well.  But this winter, I have yet to see any of these special birds.  There have been a report or two from well within the Adirondacks, but few from our area.

Dark-eyed Junco

I thought Dark-eyed Juncos were going to be around in bigger numbers this winter based on the numbers I had been seeing in the fall.  They're here regularly, but always number in the single digits.  I frequently broadcast a high-millet blend like WBU Select Blend just for these ground-feeding birds.

Hairy Woodpecker enjoying high-fat suet plugs

Goldfinches have moved on, only occasionally showing up as they roam widely for food.  My woodpecker counts, especially Downy Woodpeckers, are a little on the low side.  I sadly lost a downy to a hawk strike on Christmas day.  European Starlings are starting to visit regularly.  Luckily, starlings are not regulars at my feeders at any time of the year and the only break they get from my harassment is when a Hairy Woodpecker is around and I choose not to spook all of them off.

Blue Jays

I'm grateful for the sometimes big flocks of Mourning Doves, Black-capped Chickadees and Blue Jays.  These reliable resident birds guarantee me color and life and usually lots of sound in my yard, day-in-and-day-out through the winter.

I don't know what is behind the lower activity at my feeders other than the typical ebbs and flows of nature.  Snowfall is about normal (I'm looking out at a yard covered by 2-feet of snow), though accumulations started a bit later than normal.

One thing I am sure of is that I'll see a few more species as spring approaches.  I look forward to native sparrows like the Fox, Song, and American Tree Sparrows, as well as Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds as they pass through during their spring migration journey.  I'm anxiously awaiting the return of my resident Purple Finches.  And I'll probably see and count a less-than-welcome Brown-headed Cowbird or two.  Just passing through, I hope!

So even though things are a bit slower than past winters, I know more is to come.  I think it was Thoreau who wrote the phrase "faith in a seed"; we as bird lovers put "faith in a bird", as we anxiously await spring, and the birds that announce its arrival.