Have you been counting the birds? For those unaware, today is day #3 of the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). It only takes a minimum of 15 minutes to note what birds you’ve seen. Why not consider taking a little time to help count a few of the winter birds in your yard. Check out the above web address for details.
I spent a couple hours off-and-on yesterday hanging out on my back deck counting birds. The best part for me however was having my 6 year old daughter sitting beside me for the first half-hour or so with her own tally sheet writing down and observing the birds she saw. I helped her with most of the identifications, but other than that she did the rest.
Here’s her tally sheet….isn't it cute?
The GBBC even has a special website for kids that offers puzzles, coloring pages and more…http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/kids
We enjoyed watching a variety of birds visit the backyard feeder as well as a few birds that were just passing through.
When I wasn’t watching, my Wingscape Birdcam was doing the job for me. I had it pointed at my platform feeder for most of the day. Below are a few of my favorites.
No shortage of American Goldfinches in my backyard this winter…
Here’s one of my favorite visitors – the Pine Warbler:
Here’s a Common Grackle. Doesn’t he look ticked off?? Maybe he doesn’t like his photo being taken while eating…?
My favorite of the day was the kissing House Finches below.
Their not really kissing. The male (right) is passing a seed to the female (left). A lot of bird do this during their courtship.
Okay, lets not be greedy!
The Birdcam is still set up so hopefully I’ll capture a few more interesting photos today!
If you get any interesting photos during this years Great Backyard Bird Count be sure to submit them to the website photo gallery. You may just have a winner - http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/photo-contest-rules
So, what kind of birds have you been seeing in your backyard?
This post was submitted to this weeks edition of Bird Photography Weekly (#130). Be sure to stop by and check it out.