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November 4, 2009
Dear Great Backyard Bird Count Participant,
Save the Dates: GBBC is Coming!
The next
Great Backyard Bird
Count (GBBC) takes place Friday, February 12 through Monday, February 15,
2010. The National
Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are calling on everyone to “Count for Fun, Count for the Future!” During
last year’s count, participants turned in more than 93,600 checklists online,
creating the continent's largest instantaneous snapshot of bird populations ever
recorded. We hope you’ll join us again and help spread the word, since the
success of the count depends on people tallying birds from as many locations as
possible across the continent.
Spread
the Word
Each year, we rely on you to spread the word about the
GBBC. One way we do this is through our volunteer ambassador
program. Volunteer ambassadors do a variety of things, including
hanging up GBBC fliers, giving presentations in their community, and even
talking to their local media. For more ideas on how to promote the GBBC, fill
out the online ambassador sign-up form and specify the kinds
of activities you’d like to do.
You can also get involved by simply
forwarding this email to friends and family, encouraging them to
participate!
Birds to
Help
Looking to help the birds in your area? Visit Audubon at
Home’s Birds to Help website for some tips. Tips are organized according to
setting—urban, suburban, or rural.
Project FeederWatch Season Begins
Soon
The 2009-10 season of Project FeederWatch begins November 14,
though you can sign up at any time. FeederWatchers keep track of their birds
through the winter and report their tallies each week. This helps scientists
track changes in winter bird populations from year to year.
To learn more
and to sign up, visit the Project FeederWatch website. New participants receive a kit with a
handbook, a bird-identification poster, calendar, and instruction booklet. There
is a $15 fee ($12 for Lab members) to help cover the costs of materials and
participant support. If you live in Canada, please visit our partner, Bird
Studies Canada, or call (888) 448-2473.
Thank you for all you do to help
the birds!
Janis Dickinson, Director of Citizen Science, Cornell
Lab of Ornithology
Tom Bancroft, Vice-President for Science, National Audubon Society
Images by 2009 GBBC participants: Great
Blue Heron by Lynne Marsho; Blue Jay by Katya Porter.
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The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a nonprofit membership institution
interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research,
education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit the Cornell Lab’s website
at www.birds.cornell.edu.
Audubon is dedicated to
protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Our
national network of community-based nature centers and chapters, scientific and
educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird
populations, engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in
conservation. www.audubon.org
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