Malibuites Encouraged to Join Bird Count

The 2013 Great Backyard Bird Count, a joint project of the Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, takes place this month, and Malibuites of all ages are invited to take part.

The 16th annual GBBC is set for Friday, Feb. 15, through Monday, Feb. 18. The event, which attracts participants from all over North America, “creates a real-time snapshot of where the birds are.”

“Everyone is welcome, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy and it helps the birds,” according to project coordinators.

Participants record the number of individual birds of each species they see during their count period and then enter their numbers on the GBBC website.

In 2012, 104,285 checklists were submitted and 623 species were observed for a total individual bird count of 17,382,831. Malibu participants recorded 67 species and a total of 2020 individual birds that included three Bonaparte’s seagulls, 103 snowy plovers, 37 western meadowlarks, and an osprey, in addition to regular local species, including California brown pelicans, western gulls and the ubiquitous American coot.

Downloadable instructions and additional details for entering checklists via a GBBC account are available online. Birdwatchers who already use eBird can submit their sightings in the usual way but should “be sure to enter at least one checklist during the GBBC weekend,” according to the website.

More information is available at www.birdsource.org