Harry Potter fans and bird enthusiasts from all walks of life are invited to help track
"Harry Potter's owl" and other birds February 15 through 18, 2002, as part of the fifth
annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC).
A project of Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology with sponsorship from Wild Birds Unlimited,
the GBBC asks everyone with an interest in birds--families, individuals, classrooms, community groups--to
count the numbers and kinds of birds they see during any or all of the four count days. They can count in
their backyards, schoolyards, local parks, nature centers, even at the office. Reports are made over the
Internet at BirdSource, a state-of-the-art web site developed by the Cornell Lab of
Ornithology and Audubon.
"This is the fifth year of the Great Backyard Bird Count, and we couldn't be more excited," says Frank
Gill, Audubon's Senior Vice President for Science. "We're in the midst of a major invasion of sorts--many
bird species that typically spend the year in Canada and the extreme northern U.S. are moving into regions
farther south. With help from bird lovers everywhere, we'll be able to see which species are where during
the Great Backyard Bird Count."
One of the species making rare appearances is the Snowy Owl, a species that has become widely recognized
recently as a result of the immense popularity of the Harry Potter books and recent movie, Harry Potter
and the Sorcerer's Stone. In the series, Harry's pet is a Snowy Owl named Hedwig.
Now, people will be able to contribute data and learn about the Snowy Owl for real, during the Great
Backyard Bird Count. Snowy Owls typically spend the year in the far north, feeding on lemmings in the arctic
tundra. Some winters, this food source reaches an extreme low, forcing many of the owls into areas farther south.
This winter, Snowy Owls have already made appearances in southern Maine, New Hampshire, upstate New York,
North and South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and elsewhere. With help from
GBBC participants, the whereabouts of Snowy Owls will be plotted on maps at the web site almost as soon as
reports are made throughout the four count days.
Special GBBC web pages will feature Snowy Owls and nine other North American owl species as well,
representing a range of habitats and geographic locales. Species summaries, images, calls, and conservation
status will be available at the web site as well. Two of the featured owls--Short-eared Owl and Elf Owl--are
on Audubon's "WatchList" because they are showing population declines. Another species, the Burrowing Owl,
is also declining in parts of its range.
"Harry Potter-mania has helped focus the nation's attention on owls and provides us with a unique
opportunity to engage everyone, including children and their families, as participants in an event that will
yield further insight into the birds' population status," says John Fitzpatrick, Director of the Cornell Lab
of Ornithology. "At the same time, putting owls in the spotlight is an ideal segue for people to learn about
other kinds of birds as well."
The Great Backyard Bird Count has been collecting data about the vast majority of North American birds
since 1998. The purpose of the count is to build a continentwide index to help researchers keep tabs on the
distribution and abundance of bird populations over time. The GBBC is a unique part of a suite of bird
monitoring projects that include Audubon's Christmas Bird Count and the Lab's Project FeederWatch.
In its five-year history, more than 100,000 people have participated in the count. Their reports have led
to some interesting findings. The GBBC has indicated a strong correlation between snow depth and the winter
distribution of American Robins--GBBC data have shown this traditional "harbinger of spring" occurring in
parts of Michigan and other northern locales during winters when snow depth was minimal in those regions.
The count has also tracked the arrival of Red-winged Blackbirds and other blackbird species as they return
to their breeding grounds.
The GBBC continues to document irruptions of winter finches--Pine Grosbeaks, White-winged Crossbills,
Pine Siskins, Evening Grosbeaks, and other species that, like Snowy Owls, typically spend the winter in far
northern locales. "This winter is thus far revealing a bounty of winter finches," says Fitzpatrick. "In the
Ithaca area, for example, we've been treated to White-Winged Crossbills, Common Redpolls, Evening Grosbeaks,
and Pine Grosbeaks. Visits from these rare visitors make the winter especially delightful and give us one
more reason to look forward to the Great Backyard Bird Count. We will be interested to see what the GBBC
data will tell us about this year's winter finch phenomenon."
To take part in the GBBC, just count the highest number of each bird species seen at one time (to ensure
the birds are not counted more than once) and keep track of the amount of time spent counting. Then log on
to the BirdSource web site at www.birdsource.org and click on the appropriate state or province for a
checklist of the most frequently reported birds in that region. The survey form asks a few other questions,
too, including the habitat where the observation was made. The researchers are especially excited to find
out what the snow depth data will yield this year--last year, the GBBC collected more than 52,000 snow-depth
reports.
Results from the count are updated hourly in the form of animated maps and colorful graphs for all to
view online. Participants will be able to see almost immediately how their observations fit into the
continentwide perspective. Findings from previous years are also available at the site, as are the
ever-popular Top Ten lists.
In addition to current and past results, the GBBC web site includes other interesting and useful
information to make participation easy and enjoyable. Educators are encouraged to conduct the count with
their students. The site has a vocabulary section, bird-watching and bird-feeding tips, bird vocalizations
and images, a "tricky ID" section, and more.
"Whether to learn more about owls or for the great feeling that comes when you've contributed your efforts
to an important cause, we hope that everyone will log onto the Great Backyard Bird Count and join us for our
fifth year," says Gill. "Participating is an enjoyable way to learn about birds and to make a difference for them."
Complete instructions for participating are available at the web site www.birdsource.org (click on "Great
Backyard Bird Count"). There's no fee or registration. People who would like to participate but don't have
access to the Internet can try their local library. Many Wild Birds Unlimited store locations also accept
reports. Libraries, businesses, nature clubs, Scout troops and other community organizations, or anyone else
interested in serving as "ambassadors"--local experts who also help promote the count--can contact the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology at 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York 14850; or call 800/843-2473
(outside the U.S. call 607/254-2473). Audubon can be reached by calling 212/979-3083 or by writing 700
Broadway, New York, NY 10003-9562.
