Annual census of feathered friends starts Friday
The dark-eyed junco, a member of the sparrow family, is one of the more common birds to be observed during the Great Backyard Bird Count. They winter in the Sacramento area but migrate to forests or woodlands for summer. Image courtesy stephmcblack, license via Pixabay
See a birdie? Time to take note!
Starting Friday, grab some binoculars (and your smartphone) and participate in one of the world’s largest citizen science projects. All it takes is 15 minutes in your own backyard or neighborhood park. And the whole family can get involved.
It’s the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), a four-day snapshot of avian diversity that’s become a worldwide phenomenon. More than a half million birders take part each year.
Counters will have to go some to top 2024, when this event broke most of its records. Last year, 642,003 bird watchers participated worldwide – a 16% increase from 2023. In 2024, 7,920 species were counted in 210 countries; 682 species were recorded within the continental United States.
During the event over the long Presidents’ Day Weekend (Feb. 14 through 17), volunteers of all ages and abilities take part in this census of our feathered friends. Because its emphasis is on backyards and neighborhoods, the count helps build awareness of our suburban wildlife while serving as a measurement of bird diversity since 1998.
To get you started, the organizers are hosting a free webinar via YouTube at noon Wednesday, Feb. 12. (Register in advance to get the links.)
“Panelists will explain how to participate in this exciting global event and how participation might extend past your back door,” say the hosts. “Discover how to join a group taking part in the GBBC and explore fun ways to involve kids. From bird ID tips to counting birds with ease, this webinar is your ticket to an engaging and confident GBBC experience.”
Sign up for it here: https://www.birdcount.org/
Co-hosted by the Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the GBBC is open to birdwatchers anywhere. And it’s free to participate.
The challenge is simple: Count how many birds you see during a 15-minute period (or more) during the four-day event in a specific space, such as your backyard. You also can count birds in a neighborhood park, along a stream or river, or wherever you like. The key: Document what you see including the bird species as well as number.
Handy tools are offered online to help with identification, such as Merlin Bird ID. (It can ID most of your sightings with three easy questions.) Also, take photos to help with that ID process (and to document your observation – experienced bird watchers will review your findings).
Then, submit your list of birds to the GBBC using the eBird tool (also available online).
In the U.S., the birds appearing on the most checklists were distinctive species that are easy to spot (and tend to love bird feeders): northern cardinal, house finch (with the distinctive red face and upper breast) and dark-eyed junco.
In 2024, California submitted the most bird checklists – 21,585 – more than any other state.
GBBC isn’t limited to home landscapes. Locally, birders reported 70 species along the American River Parkway, one of several local hot spots. Another hotspot: The Cosumnes River Preserve.
To participate or learn more: https://www.birdcount.org/
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Food in My Back Yard Series
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
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Garden Checklist for week of April 20
Before possible showers at the end of the week, take advantage of all this nice sunshine – and get to work!
* Set out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.
* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, radishes and squash.
* Plant onion sets.
* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.
* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.
* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.
* Plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.
* Transplant lettuce and cabbage seedlings.
* Smell orange blossoms? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.
* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.
* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.
* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.
* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden is really hungry. Give shrubs and trees a dose of a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.
* Start thinning fruit that's formed on apple and stone fruit trees -- you'll get larger fruit at harvest (and avoid limb breakage) if some is thinned now. The UC recommendation is to thin fruit when it is about 3/4 of an inch in diameter. Peaches and nectarines should be thinned to about 6 inches apart; smaller fruit such as plums and pluots can be about 4 inches apart. Apricots can be left at 3 inches apart. Apples and pears should be thinned to one fruit per cluster of flowers, 6 to 8 inches apart.
* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.
* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.
* Weed, weed, weed! Don’t let unwanted plants go to seed.
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