Great Backyard Bird Count - Day 1

I think last year was the first time I'd participated in the "Great Backyard Bird Count" or "GBBC." This is an annual bird count sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca New York. The Cornell Lab is kind of like the "central hub" of all things bird related and they have one of the best online resources for bird identification called All About Birds. Anyway, I really like the GBBC because it's one you can do completely on your own, anywhere you wish. Of course I chose Palmer Lake Park last year and again this year. All you do is keep your own record of how many of each species you see and report it online. Routine bird counts give scientists tremendous amounts of important data in the study of birds, migration and even climate change and it's neat to know that you can participate right in your own backyard if you wish. The only downside of this count is that it's at the peak of winter and can be some of the quietest times for birds in Minnesota. So generally I end up reporting lots of Woodpeckers, Chicakdees, Finches and Nuthatches, none of which are rare by any means. But like on any other walk, you never know what you might see and I was hoping very much that I could add a Northern Shrike to my count this year. I'll share a few photos I took today during my count and this first is just one of four Red-bellied Woodpeckers I spotted. This is actually a female which I don't see all that often. You can tell by the fact that the red crest on her head doesn't go all the way across from the front to the back, but rather has a gap of light grey between. Any bird that has red feathers at all really stands out this time of year when everything else is washed out in white or grey. So though another common bird, it's actually pretty neat to see a bright red male Cardinal on such a sunny winter day. They almost look like they are glowing against the pale landscape of February. After seeing a small group of 5 Deer, I finally spotted my Northern Shrike high atop a tree on the far north side of the park! Though I've seen them a fair amount this season it was nice to be able to "officially" add him to my count. Oh, I also saw a Red-shouldered Hawk which is another not as common bird –for me anyway. But I didn't get a photo of him.

Total bird count for Saturday February 16th, 2013
Black-capped Chickadee – 20
American Crow – 7
Downy Woodpecker – 1
Hairy Woodpecker – 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 4
Pileated Woodpecker – 1
White-breasted Nuthatch – 2
Northern Cardinal – 3
Blue Jay – 1
House Finch – 4
Northern Shrike – 1
Red-shouldered Hawk – 1
European Starlings – 2
American Robin – 1