Great Backyard Bird Count: Feb 16 in Cary

Story from staff reports. Photo of American Goldfinch in winter by Rodney Campbell.

Cary, NC – The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual event in which volunteers count and track all the birds they see during a 3 day period. This year, you can be a part of the fun at Cary’s Kids Together Playground on February 16.

Bird Count Goes Global

For the first time ever, the Great Backyard Bird Count is going global. During February 15-18, people around the world are invited to join in the annual event, a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society.

Participants take part at home, in schoolyards, at local parks or wildlife refuges, simply counting the highest number of each species they see during an outing or a sitting, then entering their tally on the Great Backyard Bird Count.

 “Bird counts are taking place all across the country, but our event is one of the few designed for children to enjoy.  It’s easy, it’s educational and it’s fun,” said Kids Together President Marla Dorrel.  “The results we submit will become part of a national database used by conservationists, so we’re helping the cause of science, too,” she added.

Bird Count in Cary

If you want to take part in the great bird count in a group, come to Kids Together Park. Participants will meet at the entrance plaza near the shelter at 9:00 a.m.  Latecomers may join in when they arrive.

Birding walks will continue until 10:00 a.m., followed by refreshments of fruit and seeds, encouraging participants to “eat like a bird.”  Binoculars and bird guide books are welcome, but not required.

The accessible design of Kids Together Playground makes participation and mobility easy for everyone; wheelchair-friendly birding opportunities abound. The event is free and open to all.

This will be the fifth year that Kids Together has participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count.  Over the past four years, a total of 29 different bird species have been seen from Kids Together Playground and Marla Dorrel Park. (The full list appears at the end of this release.)

In the event of heavy rain, snow or ice, the event will not be held.  For information, contact Marla Dorrel at 481-3180 or email kidstogether@nc.rr.com.

Birds Seen in Past Bird Counts

Can you identify any of these feathered fellows? Maybe you’ve seen them in your own backyard.

• American Crow
• American Goldfinch
• American Robin
• Belted Kingfisher
• Black Vulture
• Blue Jay
• Brown Thrasher
• Canada Goose
• Carolina Chickadee
• Common Grackle
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Eastern Towhee
• Golden-crowned Kinglet
• Hairy Woodpecker
• House Finch
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Cardinal
• Northern Flicker
• Northern Harrier
• Northern Mockingbird
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• Tufted Titmouse
• Turkey Vulture
• White-breasted Nuthatch
• White-throated Sparrow
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
• Yellow-rumped Warbler

Event Details

Great Backyard Bird Count
Saturday February 16, 2013
9:00 – 10:00 AM

Kids Together Playground
Marla Dorrel Park
111 Thurston Drive
Cary, NC
Map