The Region
Featured Bird
Sandhill, Whooping Crane:
Sandhill Cranes gather in huge numbers on the Platte River at night and in cornfields throughout the Rainwater Basin region of the Chicken Dance Trail by day. Whooping Cranes, although endangered, are frequently seen in marshy regions such as the Funk Lagoon in the Rainwater Basin.
This Month on the Chicken Dance Trail
The Great Backyard Bird Count
February 12-15
Do you consider yourself a birdwatcher? Do you know the common birds in your backyard? Do you spend time in the outdoors or watching wildlife out your windows? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then you should consider participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) 2010.
The Chicken Dance Trail region of southwest and south central Nebraska is prime bird watching country, and the GBBC is a great opportunity for birdwatchers and other nature enthusiasts to contribute to scientific information on birds. The GBBC is a citizen-science project begun in 1998 by Audubon and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Last year over 94,000 checklists were submitted nationwide, documenting over 11 million individual birds and 620 species. In Nebraska, birders submitted 812 checklists and documented over 200,000 birds and 106 species.
Participants in the GBBC can be experts, or novices, as long as they only report the birds that they are positive that they are identifying correctly. You can count birds for as little as 15 minutes on one of the four days or as much as you want during the four-day period. Then you have the opportunity to put your town or favorite birding location “on the map” by submitting your checklist(s) online. Literally within minutes, there will be dots on a map on the Internet representing your efforts. This is a good, productive activity for all ages, and especially for school groups, college classes, birding clubs, etc.
Participants in the GBBC will contribute various types of information to the scientific community just by submitting their checklists. With the harsh winter conditions that much of the United States has seen this year, checklists will indicate how certain species have responded by showing if they wintered farther north, south, east or west, for example. The checklists will also give information on “irruptive” species, such as Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins and other species that are unpredictable in where they spend winter each year. This count also helps show early migration movements of species such as Sandhill Cranes, Canada Geese and others. In general, the GBBC helps document population trends of winter birds, giving scientists an idea of which birds are increasing, decreasing or have stable populations. A few years back, this count really showed the impact of West Nile Virus on species such as American Crow and Black-billed Magpies.
By participating in the GBBC, you can have a good time, put your town on the map, and contribute scientific knowledge about birds all at the same time! For more information or to learn how to participate, visit www.birdcount.org. If you happen to find something that you can’t identify, and can get a picture, feel free to send it to me at thomas.walker@nebraska.gov and I will help you identify it before you submit your checklist.
Get out in your backyard or nearby favorite natural area and help put us on the map!
T. J. Walker
Wildlife Biologist
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
North Platte
Special Thanks to:
Nebraska Game and Parks, Birds of Nebraska
www.ngpc.state.ne.us/wildlife/guides/birds/findbirds.asp
"This Month on the Chicken Dance Trail" archives:
- New online gallery helps Nebraska birders know what to look for (January, 2010)
- Birding in a Winter Wonderland (December, 2009)
- From chirps and cheeps to Twitter and “tweets” (November, 2009)
- Pockets and Puddles (October, 2009)
- Shorebirds in Nebraska: the invisible migration (September, 2009)
- From frailty to flight, the healing of a bald eagle (August, 2009)
- Some other “on the wing” critters… (July, 2009)
- Birding Day (June, 2009)
- Sleeping with the windows open: the morning orchestra (May, 2009)
- Three experiences every Nebraskan should have in April (April, 2009)
- March migration creates a symphony of sound – and not just birds (March, 2009)
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