This week (February 15-18), scientists are hoping you’ll help them with
a project. Rebecca Williams reports all it takes is 15 minutes in your
backyard:
Transcript
This week (February 15-18), scientists are hoping you’ll help them with
a project. Rebecca Williams reports all it takes is 15 minutes in your
backyard:
The Great Backyard Bird Count is a huge four-day bird watch. It’s
a census of all the birds at backyard feeders in the
winter.
You look outside, watch birds, make a list of what you see, and send in
your results online. It’s a project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
and the National Audubon Society.
Pat Leonard is with the Cornell Lab. She says it’s okay if you’re not
an expert birder:
“I think people know a lot more of their backyard birds than they
realize…So if you know a dozen species you’re pretty much set because
that’s what we’re looking for.”
Leonard says her team could never get as much data as they do without
the backyard bird counts.
She says over time, they’re able to see long term trends – such as how
climate change could be making some bird species stick around longer in
the winter.
For the Environment Report, I’m Rebecca Williams.