Are you enthralled by all the birds which come to your feeders? Do you spend a few minutes or a few hours every day watching them and trying to identify each one?
Then you need to know about the Great Backyard Bird Count that will be held Feb. 17 through 20, Friday through Monday. This is birding for amateurs done in the comfort of your own home.
There are a few loose rules which you can find at www.birdcount.org. It tells you what and how to record your count over those four days, and there is a handy list of local birds. You will be amazed at the number and variety of birds who live with us in 27587. Also at that website, look under GBBC Toolkit, click on Bird Lists and enter your zip code. Look at Data Form and the Online Guide & Tricky Bird IDs.
You are advised to spend at least 15 minutes at a time, and you can watch and record for several hours as often as you like. Put your location at the top of your list, and identify as many as you can. Report the highest number of each species that you see at one time. When you see a flock, estimate the number.
On Tuesday, Feb. 21, send your list to wfriverhawks@gmail.com. To see the results of the local count, go to www.ncwf.org/ncwf-chapters and click on River Hawks. That group is the local chapter of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation and they meet every third Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Wake Forest Historical Museum, 414 North Main Street. The next meeting is Feb. 21, and you will be welcomed to share your bird count experience and perhaps join.
