16 February 2014

There's Still Time to Participate in the 2014 Great Backyard Bird Count!

The 2014 Great Backyard Bird Count has reached its halfway point.  If you haven't had a chance to participate in the first two days of the count, hopefully you can count birds and submit a checklist on Sunday or Monday.  Saturday was an interesting day in the field in northern Indiana, with many birds (Black-capped Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, and Red-bellied Woodpecker, among others) singing their spring songs.
 
Horned Lark in rural LaPorte County, Indiana
Some of my highlights from the first two days of the Great Backyard Bird Count include Fox Sparrow and Cooper's Hawk on our property; Canvasback, Redhead, Common Merganser, Common Goldeneye, and Bufflehead at University of Notre Dame; Common Merganser, Horned Grebe, and Horned Lark in rural LaPorte County; and Common Merganser, Hermit Thrush, Lesser Scaup, White-crowned Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, and an adult intermediate morph western Red-tailed Hawk at Kingsbury Fish and Wildlife Area in LaPorte County.

Common Goldeneye (male and female) at St. Joseph Lake at University of Notre Dame in St. Joseph County, Indiana
To participate in the count, you don't necessarily need to travel; you can count birds in your yard or at a location of your choice.  Good luck if you get a chance to join the last two days of the Great Backyard Bird Count.