The Great Backyard Bird Count Makes Everyone a Scientist

The Great Backyard Bird Count Makes Everyone a Scientist

The Great Backyard Bird Count begins today.

About 385,000 people from 192 countries take part in the yearly project to count birds. The event was first held 25 years ago.

Steve and Janet Kistler from the American state of Kentucky are among those taking part. They have done so every year since the now-international tradition started in 1998.

For Moira Dalibor, a schoolteacher from nearby Lexington, this is her first event. She is leading a group of students and parents to a garden to collect data.

Becca Rodomsky-Bish is the project's leader at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology¹, in Ithaca, New York. The laboratory organizes the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) along with the National Audubon Society and Birds Canada.

"Every year we see increased participation²," and 2022 was a big jump, Rodomsky-Bish said.

In India, which had the highest participation outside the U.S. last year, tens of thousands of people submitted bird checklists. That was a 28 percent increase from 2021.

The worldwide data goes into the eBird database³ used by scientists for research on bird populations. The GBBC is part of a rise in "citizen science" projects in which volunteers collect data about the natural world for use by researchers.

Rodomsky-Bish said many birdwatchers use eBird year-round, and it has collected huge amounts of data — often between 1 million and 2 million bird checklists a month from around the world in the past couple of years. The information helps researchers track the numbers of different kinds of birds, which then helps with conservation efforts.

Overall, "The net number of birds around the world — we're losing them," said Rodomsky-Bish.

A 2019 study by Cornell researchers found there were 3 billion fewer birds in North America than in 1970.

"The bad news is that the declines⁴ are coming out strong and hard in the data," Rodomsky-Bish added. "The good news is if we didn't have that data, we wouldn't know. And that helps a lot of areas take direct action."

The pandemic helped to increase interest in the GBBC and birds in general, Rodomsky-Bish said. "Birds were company during this period of isolation⁵... Birds are everywhere. You don't have to leave your house. They will come."

Compared to other counts — including Audubon's 123-year-old Christmas Bird Count and the Cornell Lab's Project FeederWatch — the GBBC is the best one for beginners.

Participants watch and record birds in easy ways. They can look out the window for 15 minutes or take a longer trip to a nature area. Organizers suggest using the Merlin bird ID app to identify birds by size, shape, song or other qualities. Many participants also carry field guidebooks and binoculars⁶ along with their smart phones. They then enter the findings into the eBird app.

"Anyone can say, ‘I can contribute to science — it's easy. I can identify one bird over a four-day period and I've done my part,'" Rodomsky-Bish said.

Counting in February, she said, provides a record right before many birds start their yearly spring migrations⁷.

Dalibor, the schoolteacher, has provided her students with information about local birds and practiced with the Merlin ID app. The students will record bird sightings and parent volunteers will enter those numbers on phones.

"It'll be authentic⁸ data that we collected ourselves that real scientists are going to use. There's purpose and action behind it, which is special for them, being connected to the wider world," Dalibor said.

Ganeshwar SV is director of the Salem Ornithological⁹ Foundation in India. He helps get schools in India involved in conservation programs, including the GBBC. He said the goal "is not to count but to just enjoy birds."

"In rural areas, it's not unusual for children to wander around and use (slingshots) ... and kill birds," he said. Now, "the hands that used (slingshots) to hit birds are the same hands that are building nest boxes and taking notes about birds and their behavior."

The GBBC also urges participants to share pictures of birds, themselves, and other birdwatchers. The count will end on February 20.

Words in This Story

participation –n. the act of being involved in doing something

conservation –n. the activity of preserving natural areas and resources for future generations.

isolation –n. being alone or separated from other people

app (application) –n. a computer program that does one job or task

contribute –v. to give something of value

slingshot –n. a simple device shaped like a "Y" and with a stretching band that can be used to shoot small stones

1 ornithology   

n.鸟类学

参考例句：

• He found his vocation in ornithology.他发现自己适于专攻鸟类学。
• His main interests are botany and ornithology.他主要对植物学和鸟类学感兴趣。

2 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

3 database   

n.数据库 （=databank）

参考例句：

• I discovered some new information in the database.我在资料库里发现了一些新信息。
• We planned to build an online database.我们计划建一个联机数据库。

4 declines   

辞谢，谢绝（邀请等）( decline的第三人称单数 )； （道路、物体等）下倾； （太阳）落下； （在品格、价值上）降低

参考例句：

• As one grows older one's memory declines. 一个人的记忆力随着年老而衰退。
• Hearing sensitivity declines with age. 听觉因年老而衰退。

5 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

6 binoculars   

n.双筒望远镜

参考例句：

• He watched the play through his binoculars.他用双筒望远镜看戏。
• If I had binoculars,I could see that comet clearly.如果我有望远镜，我就可以清楚地看见那颗彗星。

7 migrations   

n.迁移，移居( migration的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It foundered during the turmoils accompanying the Great Migrations. 它在随着民族大迁徙而出现的混乱中崩溃。 来自辞典例句
• Birds also have built-in timepieces which send them off on fall and spring migrations. 鸟类也有天生的时间感应器指导它们秋春迁移。 来自互联网

8 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

9 ornithological   

adj.鸟类学的

参考例句：

• Is there an ornithological reason for keeping them in separate cages? 用独立的笼子养鸟，有什么鸟类学的原因吗？ 来自电影对白
• Mere amateurs in 2009 will make ornithological history in China by discovering birds unknown to science. 在即将来临的2009年里，中国鸟类学史大概会由不打眼的业余人士通过发现未知的鸟类而刷新。 来自互联网