January 2019
the world
For several years some enthusiastic amateur backyard birdwatchers ran a friendly “competition” comparing how many different kinds of birds we were able to see and hear in our backyards. The idea was to highlight the fact that it’s not necessary (although certainly very pleasurable) to travel far to experience a multitude of birdy friends and see them involved in their birdy activities.
The project became a bit too cumbersome to document and manage, even with several volunteers doing the heavy lifting of creating and filling in a gigantic spreadsheet each month (a huge shout-out to Milly Watt for shouldering much of that 🙏🏼 ). Therefore it kind of petered out as an organized project.
However several of us continued to keep our own personal lists. Last month some of us compared notes on how we fared over 2018, backyard bird-wise. Personally, I learned quite a lot by paying attention outside my windows, strolling around my yard, and tracking the birds I saw. I know you would too.
So this year we at Backyard Science are launching a revised version of the Backyard Bird Race. The first rule of TDB/BYBR is NOT we don’t talk about the TDB/BYBR; on the contrary, DO talk it up amongst your friends and relatives near and far. :)
Here are the rules:
1. Watch and listen for birds in your backyard. You decide what constitutes “your backyard”.
2. Keep a list of said birds. List any you see OR hear. Preferably linking a date to observations, at least roughly — that helps you track migrant arrival/departure. Also, noting what sort of backyard or habitat makes it interesting to your fellow Racers. An easy peasy way to do this is to create a category at eBird called “backyard”. What, you don’t have an account at eBird?? It’s free and can be anonymous, so I encourage you to set one up. You won’t be disappointed. Link: ebird.org/… One of the cool features there is you can generate a running total in table form with various kinds of information, including number and kinds of species.
3. Watch your activity stream here at Daily Kos for “Backyard Bird Racers” (follow that group if you haven’t alreadyBackyard Bird Racers). When a diary appears, stop by to report your backyard birdy observations in the comments, at whatever level of detail and organization you choose. It’s fun to stop by and chat about what we’re seeing across the continent....and world if we can persuade our European friends to participate. And maybe beyond?
That’s it!
Everyone is welcome - new birders, experienced birders, and anyone in between. We're a very supportive group and will help as much as we can.
Interested? Join us!
Here’s my list so far, in the Pacific Northwest islands, Washington state.
(Notes for myself…first week of January
Turkeys were roosting in trees, gobbling to beat the band. A tom and a jake, in separate trees.
Turkey vulture soared low over the trees. A few stick around every winter, fewer this year than lately.
GWG — heard only
Raven — heard “
Flicker — heard “
The kinglets were hopping around in the bare branches of a quince bush.
RW blackbird — heard “
Weather mostly overcast, mizzling rain, moderate to strong wind. Except one fair day. Temps in 40s)
Feel free to add a comment below about your January bird observations. And of course as always, we welcome your notes about any aspect of nature in your area.
The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge.
We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
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The Daily Kos Backyard Science Yardbird Race is a birding competition where, over the course of one year, participants strive to identify the most bird species - by sight and/or by sound - from the confines of their yards.
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What’s up in nature in your area?
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