Events

15th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count

As movie-goers watch the stars of The Big Year in their quest to count birds, some may be motivated to try the hobby for the first time. The annual Great Backyard Bird Count <http://www.birdcount.org/>is the perfect opportunity. The event is hosted by Audubon <http://www.audubon.org/>, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology <http://www.birds.cornell.edu/>, and Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada <http://www.birdscanada.org/>. The results provide a snapshot of the whereabouts of more than 600 bird species.

Anyone can participate in this free event and no registration is needed. Watch and count birds for at least 15 minutes on any day of the count, February 17-20, 2012. Enter your results at www.birdcount.org , where you can watch as the tallies grow across the continent. The four-day count typically records more than 10 million observations.

If you don’t have internet access, copies of the tally sheet may be requested by calling Hendry-Glades Audubon at 863-674-0695. The completed GBBC tally sheets may be mailed to: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca NY 14850. Please mark GBBC on the outside of the envelope. All data needs to be received before March 1, 2012.

The GBBC web site provides helpful hints for identifying birds. Participants can compare results from their town or region with others, as checklists pour in from throughout the U.S. and Canada. They can also view bird photos taken by others during the count and send in their own digital images for the online photo gallery and contest. Photographer Ken Corregan was at top winner for his photos taken at STA5 south of Clewiston, He placed 1st in Group Photos taken at STA5 in 2009 and 5th in Group Photos in 2011.

Through a partnership with South Florida Water Management District Hendry-Glades Audubon has received permission to conduct public tours at Stormwater Treatment Area 5 (STA5) on Feb.18, 19 and 20th .

To sign up for an STA5 public tour during the GBBC Feb. 18, 19 or 20, send an email to Margaret England, at sta5birding@embarqmail.com with your name and contact information, including an emergency cell number for the tour day, the date you prefer to attend, and the number of participants in your party. You may also leave a message at (863) 674-0695**or (863) 517- 0202.

The ten cities in all 50 states in the U.S. and from all 10 provinces and 3 territories of Canada reporting the highest bird GBBC will be listed on the National Audubon Society’s Great Backyard Bird Count web site. Clewiston has been in the top ten for the number of birds reported in 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008 with only 20-30 tallies being reported. Volunteers are needed to report tallies from communities in Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee County. Join the fun and help track the locations of wintering and resident birds.