This past weekend was the annual Great Backyard Bird Count. Whenever I could find the time, I stood by the window, looking out at the dogwood tree that holds a seed feeder, suet feeder, and bird bath. The GBBC asks participants to count the birds at their feeders–or in their backyards. Then you enter your count at their site, and it can be compared with thousands of others from around the world. The number to enter for each species is the greatest number you can see at one time. Sounds easy, right? Well, it is when it comes to the big birds–the jays, crows, woodpeckers, and those nasty starlings. The little birds are another story completely.
First there are the chickadees. First, because they show up at the feeder before I can even get it hung up in the morning. However, chickadees are perpetual motion machines, never staying in one place for more than a few seconds. And we have two species of chickadees. Try to get an accurate count of those little guys as they whip in and out of the trees and feeders! The bushtits aren’t much easier, although they are awfully cute for plain, little gray birds.
Then there are the sparrows and related little birds. Juncos, finches, etc. All kind of brown, perhaps with some stripes. House sparrows, house finches, golden-crowned sparrows, white-crowned sparrows… A person could get dizzy trying to keep up. At least the towhees are easy to tell apart from the others. And the lone varied thrush that pecks quietly at the seeds on the ground.
And how about those birds that show up the day before the GBBC and then disappear, only to reappear the day after. The stinkers! And that single Eurasian collared dove that dropped in for the first time the day after. Why couldn’t it have come a day early? Is it really cheating if I add a couple of birds from the next day?? Then there’s that leucistic sparrow-type bird. If anyone can tell me what it is, please do. I am not quite certain.
Time to turn in my lists and add my tiny bit of data to the Great Backyard Bird Count. It is nice to be a part of such a great program–even if the birds don’t always cooperate.
Sparrow Thoughts 
This was our first year participating in the GBBC. We also were doing Project Feeder watch, so had a lot of practice counting those moving targets. 🙂 It was nuts when we were invaded by the Common Redpolls. We had over 70 on some days. They did get on some of the PFW counts, but of course, none of the GBBC counts. It does seem some of those birds have a habit of avoiding getting counted.
Did you figure out the leucistic bird? It sort of looks like a House Finch to me. I have a post scheduled for tomorrow that is about a Leucistic Junco. And would you believe it arrived the day AFTER the last Project feeder watch count day. Sigh…
Wow, over 70 at one time! I’d go crazy trying to count that many. The only birds around here that might come in such numbers are the starlings, but we usually only get 3-4 at a time in our yard, although I see bigger crowds in other yards around the neighborhood. And yes, some birds do seem to avoid count days.
I didn’t figure out the leucistic bird. It could be a House Finch. We had some of them around at the same time. I have seen a couple of leucistic juncos around, too. I wonder if some species tend to have that condition more than others? I should read up on it more sometime…
Thanks for dropping by! 🙂