Georgia Magazine - February 2018 - 17

The annual count was conceived in 1998 by the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology at Cornell University in New
York and the National Audubon Society.
"You don't need to be a bird expert or scientist to
participate," Leonard says. "All you need to do is download the bird checklist for your area and note how many
and which kinds of birds you see. You can count for
only 15 minutes and you'll be helping with our research
about birds."
In 2017, more than 181,000 checklists were submitted from around the world, reporting 6,240 species and
more than 29 million birds sighted during the count.
"Every bird on every report is important," she says.
"And Georgia is one of our top-reporting states."
Georgia ranks No. 12 out of the 50 states and
Washington, D.C., for the largest number of checklists
submitted last year, with 3,651. Georgia also had the
ninth-most different species reported: 210.
"Because Georgia's coastal areas,
plains and mountains offer a wide
range of habitats, the state has a large
diversity of birds," Leonard says. "And
many birds fly through Georgia during
spring and fall migrations."
Jason Ward, a member of the
educational department at Zoo Atlanta,
is also a member of the Atlanta
Audubon Society. He's been birding for
about four years.
"I grew up in the Bronx, N.Y., so
my form of education about wildlife

LAURIE GROSS

Why watch birds?

was visiting the library," Ward says. "But around 2013,
birding became an extreme obsession for me."
Ward often leads field trips for the Atlanta Audubon
Society and works on various studies about birds and
their habits for the society.
"Bird-watching is a great hobby, even if I am a little
biased about birds," he says. "Birds are the best animals,
in my opinion, because you don't have to go anywhere
special to see them, and all you need are a pair of
inexpensive binoculars and a bird field guide."
Some rare birds and out-of-range species will be
seen in Georgia during the count, but it's most important
for participants in the GBBC to keep track of the state's
native birds, such as cardinals, titmice and chickadees.
"Bird-watching is becoming one of the most
popular outdoor recreational activities in the country,"
says Bob Sargent, program manager and wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) Wildlife Division.
"Between 75 million and
80 million people participate in birding, whether
just in their backyards at
feeders, in various wildlife
areas or at bird-watching
destinations."
He also heads up the
DNR's Camp T.A.L.O.N.
(Teen Adventures Learning
Ornithology & Nature),
which takes place each
June in St. Simons. "Camp
Tufted titmouse
T.A.L.O.N. gives teens a
chance to learn about
science and careers in wildlife
biology and ornithology," Sargent
says. "Participants visit about 10
birding destinations in the area
during the week and have been
known to see as many as 80 bird
species."

Every bird counts

ANN FOSTER

Sometimes bird-watchers
become so engrossed in
their photography that
they don't see what's
directly on top of them.
February 2018

More online at www.georgiamagazine.org

The Great Backyard Bird Count
is open to everyone, no matter
where you live, your age or your
occupation.
"All you need to do is create a
free GBBC account at gbbc.bird
count.org, download a bird checklist
for your ZIP code, then count birds
for at least 15 minutes anytime
during the four days," Leonard says.
"It's really easy; you can count as
17

http://gbbc.birdcount.org http://gbbc.birdcount.org http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - February 2018