Great Backyard Bird Count

Cardinal in crabapple tree

This is the fourth year I have participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), an international event led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society and Bird Studies Canada.
I look forward to spending a weekend examining the every day birds that visit our backyard feeders. Over three days, I only observed nine species, and of the birds that did stop by, there seemed to be fewer of them. Birds that I have seen in the past that were missing included the Red-bellied woodpecker, sparrows and finches. I am not sure of the reason for this. Could the relatively mild winter have adjusted their range? Or, could the fact that the squirrels devoured most of the fruits and berries from our trees during the fall, and continue to overpopulate our feeders, contributed to fewer birds at our feeders. I do not know.

One species that did arrive in record numbers was the Eastern Wild Turkey which showed up in a flock of 19. This is not surprising, as their numbers in New Hampshire are increasing. According to the New Hampshire Fish and Game winter turkey flock survey, 20,244 birds were recorded in 2018. Turkeys feed on nuts, seeds, fruit and vegetation and like to visit feeders for nutrient rich sunflower seeds.

Female Wild Turkey

Turkey tracks look like arrows going in the opposite direction that the bird is traveling

Our old pear tree harbors a lot of insects. This, combined with a suet feeder, attracts woodpeckers and nuthatches.

White-breasted Nuthatch (left) and  Hairy Woodpecker (on suet) and Downy Woodpecker (right)

The photo on the right above shows the size difference between the larger Hairy Woodpecker on the left and the male Downy Woodpecker on the right. We had a pair of each species visit over the weekend. The Red-bellied Woodpecker which has been a frequent visitor over the past few years has not been seen this winter.

Juncos, which are typically appear in groups, were observed, but only one to three at a time.

One lone junco

It was an unspectacular weekend with few sightings, but participating in the GBBC provides an  opportunity to contribute to science by documenting bird populations and their movements. It's also an opportunity to spend a little extra time and appreciate even common birds more fully.

Mourning Dove resting comfortably in the snow.