Plenty Of Places In NCW To Take Part In Great Backyard Bird Count

The Great Backyard Bird Count is now taking place for the President's Day weekend. 

Some of the birds now present in North Central Washington are Canadian Geese and Waterfowl. 

Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest spokesperson Robin DeMario says she especially enjoys the sights and sounds of Canadian Geese. 

"Their call, the noise they make, the Canadian Geese" said DeMario. "It's a wonderful sound, because it means the birds are returning, and spring is soon to come." 

DeMario says some of the best bird watching right now takes place on trails near the shoreline of any river in the region. 

She says there are also other birds passing through NCW. 

"Some of the new tropical migratory birds coming back from South America and other areas, they are heading up our way, so you'll start seeing some of those too," DeMario said. 

Anybody taking part in the Great Backyard Bird Count is asked to spend at least 15 minutes watching birds over the holiday weekend. (The Bird Count takes place Fri.-Mon. over the President’s Day weekend every year.) 

Participants are asked to Identify all the birds they see or hear within their planned time/location. 

Sightings are then submitted in a number of ways. 

Data collected during the event is verified by experts to overcome potential shortcomings in amateur participants' abilities.  

According to the Great Backyard Bird Count, data resulting from their event has raised awareness about changes in the population and habitats of common birds. 

The Great American Bird Count was launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society and was the first online participatory-science project (also referred to as community science or citizen science) to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real time.  

Birds Canada joined the project in 2009 to provide an expanded capacity to support participation in Canada.