For the past four or five years, our family has participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count. It's a fun and easy way to be part of a big science project! The only requirement is to count birds in your location for a minimum of 15 minutes and log your data at GBBC's web site.
Last year, we went all out and made it a bird day from start to finish, adding lots of birdy activities to the bird count itself.
This year...we counted.
Although some of us did dress the part.
And one of us invited a raven to read his Lego book with him.
There were bird counters all over the house...
...including these two cuties who may not have known what they were counting but wanted in on the fun! (This may be my favorite picture of the day!)
Unfortunately, we had almost as many counters as birds this year. Ten birds, people. We fear that the outdoor cats have discouraged our bird population. Ron and I had seen a cardinal this very morning, but Mr. Cardinal was nowhere to be seen when the count was on.
So our bird count may not have been our most successful, but the sliders we enjoyed with lunch were quite the success. (Thanks for the recipe, Deanna!)
And then there was that rousing game of Dutch Blitz...
I love this idea, Cheryl. Our unfortunate bird population is fairly annihilated from spraying for the West Nile virus. We hardly see sparrows or a robin. Sounds like a fun project and of course, sliders always add to the enjoyment. xo
ReplyDeleteHow fun!
ReplyDeleteLove your photos - Gavin and the Raven and the cuties looking out the window.
Bit of trivia for you - RABE means raven in German, I believe.
Have a great week!
Deanna
What kinds of birds? All we see are crows. I'm starting to feel like I'm in a Hitchcock movie. The little bird watchers are so adorable at the kitchen window. Somehow I thought that with that many counters you'd have seen dozens of birds.
ReplyDeleteWhat a HAPPY post! I loved the way some dressed for the occasion and am SO glad you documented the whole Bird Count experience.
ReplyDeleteI was so focused on a few other criteria when house-hunting 10 years ago, that "windows" escaped my attention. Believe me, the NEXT time I move, it will be very near the top of my list! There is really only one window that lends itself to bird-watching here.....(Guess I should be thankful I have one!)
And it is too cold for me to go outside to "watch" right now.
How fun! Spending a day with the birds sounds like a great idea. I wake up every morning these days to the sounds of birds chirping outside my window. Love it!
ReplyDelete