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Join the Great Backyard Bird Count
The count period for the 15th Great Backyard Bird Count will begin on February 17, 2012.
The 15th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) will be held February 17-20, 2012. The GBBC is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where birds are across the U.S. and Canada. Please visit the official website at www.birdcount.org for more information.
Each checklist submitted by these citizen scientists helps researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society learn more about how birds are doing – and how to protect them and the environment we share. Last year, participants turned in more than 92,000 checklists online, creating the continent's largest instantaneous snapshot of bird populations ever recorded.
GBBC at Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve
You can join others in counting birds, learn the basics of birding, and take an easy hike! The Louisville Audubon Society is sponsoring an event at Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve in Goshen on Saturday, Feb. 18th, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. At 10:30a.m., the program leader, Ryan Ankeny, will show slides of commonly seen birds, and then lead a bird count and walk along the Louisville Audubon Society’s Bluebird Trail and near native grasslands and forested areas. Bring your binoculars and layered clothes. Crafts for kids will be available. Free ($5 donations encouraged). Visit www.KYNaturePreserves.com for more details.
“Taking part in the Great Backyard Bird Count is a great way to get outside with family and friends, have fun, and help birds—all at the same time. Anyone who can identify even a few species can provide important information that enables scientists to learn more about how the environment is changing and how that affects our conservation priorities.”
- Judy Braus, Vice-President of Education & Centers
Anyone can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, from novice bird watchers to experts. Participants count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the event and report their sightings online at www.birdcount.org.
Statistics from 2011
Total Checklists Submitted: 92,218
Total Species Observed: 594
Total Individual Birds Counted: 11,471,949
Backyard Birding
For beginning birders, or folks who just enjoy the comfort of their own kitchen, backyard birding is the best way to begin an fascinating activity. All you need is some place to put a feeder, some water and a hiding place for them. If you build it, they will come to you! You will see many of the same birds every day, with an opportunity to observe their behavior closely.
Food:
Provide a variety of foods to attract different kinds of birds. You can buy bird feeders or make your own. To attract the greatest variety of birds, keep your feeders stocked all year round and position them at different heights.
Place feeders in places that aren’t too windy, have good cover nearby, and minimize other hazards.
Fill feeders with the amount of food that can be eaten in 2-3 days.
Keep feeders and feeding area clean by raking up spilled seed on the ground. Eliminate food that the birds aren’t eating.
Experiment to find out which foods the birds prefer. Here are some
to try: black oil sunflower seeds, Niger thistle seeds, cracked corn, white millet, and seed mixtures (sold as “wild bird food”). For additional bird feeding tips visit Audubon At Home.
THANKS to Feeders Supply for generously
marketing our mixes donating a portion
of sales to Louisville Audubon Society.
Available at all area Feeders Supply stores, our
Louisville Audubon bird seed comes in two mixes:
Original (blue-striped bag) for ground feeding
Gourmet Cardinal (red-striped bag)for hanging feeder
Each mix is packaged in 20# and 40# bags
Competitively priced, triple-cleaned and fresh stock
Water:
If there isn’t a natural source of fresh water nearby, you can buy or make a simple birdbath or water dish. Place the water source on a tree stump or even right on the ground. Keep the water container clean and filled with fresh water.
Nesting and Resting:
Birds need places where they can rest in safety from predators, as well as places to build their nests. If you have space, you and your family can plant native bushes and trees that give birds good hiding and nesting places. (Some also provide food!) Check with a local Audubon Center or other nature center for help choosing the right things to plant.
For more information on bird feeding, read Project Feederwatch from Cornell University. Click the Feeder Birds of Kentucky at left to download the entire brochure about the birds which might come to your Kentucky feeders.
Binoculars
For a close look at your backyard visitors, a set of binoculars comes in handy. Many people have questions about buying and using binoculars, and The Audubon Society can answer all your questions. Read this article by Wayne Mones from the Audubon Magazine to find out why you have always had trouble trying to see through binoculars, and what to do about it. Click the Audubon Guide to Binoculars icon on this page to read/download or print a handy guide.
If you’re considering a new pair of binoculars, it doesn’t mean you should toss the old ones or stick them in a closet and forget about them. Consider contacting the Birders Exchange Program at the American Birding Association, which takes old, waterproof pairs in good working condition.
Educational Materials and Guides
The following resources and support materials are provided as general guidance for
promoting the study of birds, backyard habitats, and the Great Backyard Bird Count. All
of these are applicable across all grade levels.
KEY INTERNET RESOURCE SITES
BirdSource (www.birdsource.org)
This interactive site provides information and access (links listed below) to a number of
bird monitoring projects designed to allow interaction between citizens and scientists
interested in birds. These programs are designed and managed by a unique
partnership between the National Audubon Society and the Cornel Laboratory of
Ornithology. Examples of programs support by BirdSource include:
• The Great Backyard Bird Count (annual) – www.birdsource.org/gbbc/toc_page.html
• Classroom Feeder Watch (year round) – www.birds.cornell.edu/cfw/index.html
• Christmas Bird Count (annual) – www.audubon.org/bird/cbc
• eBird (year round personal inventories) - www.ebird.org/content/index.html
Great Backyard Bird Count Website
This interactive site focuses on promoting and supporting participation in the annual
Great Backyard Bird Count held in February of each year. Major sections of the website
(www.birdsource.org/gbbc/toc_page.html) are:
• Why Count Backyard Birds
• Learn About Birds
• Show Me How
• Submit Your Bird Checklist
• Results
The “For Educators” portion of the “Learn About Birds” section listed above
(www.birdsource.org/gbbc/learning/learn.html) provides useful guidance and resources
that can support the classroom activities listed in the Classroom Activity Kit and the
Great Backyard Bird Count. The major sections are:
• Schoolyard Feeding Stations
• Ways to Involve Kids
• Backyard Activities
• Making Feeders
• Feeder Types
The Great Backyard Bird Count website also includes a link to an Online Bird Guide
(http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/) developed and
maintained by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This site includes descriptions, sounds,
conservation status, other names and cool facts for a large number of North American
birds. The short wave files of bird song may be a valuable tool for classroom use.
National Audubon Website (www.audubon.org)
This site provides information about North America’s premier bird conservation
organization, including information about state and local chapters and the Audubon
Adventures program, Audubon’s award winning environmental education program for
children in grades 3-6. The Audubon At Home program is also a great resource for
information on promoting backyard conservation and enjoying wildlife viewing
(www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/index.html).
SUPPORT MATERIAL
• The Do’s and Don’ts of Promoting the Great Backyard Bird Count – Provides a few
suggestions for encouraging student participation in the annual count AND a word of
caution about a few Don’ts that would defeat the purpose of the effort.
• Program Evaluation and Participation Form – Form to evaluate the Classroom Kit
and apply for incentive for teachers promoting the Great Backyard Bird Count
• Certificate of Participation in the Great Backyard Bird Count – A printable certificate
for presentation to children that participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count
• Audubon Mississippi Overview – A Power Point presentation that provides
background and information about the Audubon Society.
• Promoting the Great Back Yard Bird Count – A Power Point presentation that can be
used in the classroom or at public meetings to promote participation in the count.
The presentation includes overviews of:
o the why, what and how of participating in the Backyard Bird Count,
o bird identification,
o bird feeders and feeding,
o native food plants, and
o bird cover and water.
• National Audubon Society (NAS) Citizen Science Fact Sheets – This series of fact
sheets provides basic information on the many Citizen Science programs sponsored
by the Nation Audubon Society, including the Great Backyard Bird Count.
BOOKS ABOUT JOHN JAMES AUDUBON
• (4-8th Grade) Audubon: Painter of birds in the Wild Frontier, Jennifer Armstrong
w/illus. by Jos. A. Smith. 40 pp. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (2003). ISBN: 0810942380.
• (Young Adult) First Impressions, John James Audubon, Joseph Kastner. 92 pp.
Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (1992). ISBN: 0810919184.
• (Young Adult/Adult) John James Audubon: The Making of an American, Richard
Rhodes. 528 pp. Knopf (2004). ISBN: 0375414126.
• (Adult) John James Audubon: Writings and Drawings, John James Audubon and
Christoph Irmscher. 928 pp. Library of America (1999). ISBN: 188301168X.
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C 
John James Audubon (1785-1851) was not the first person to attempt to paint and describe all the birds of America (Alexander Wilson has that distinction), but for half a century he was the young country’s dominant wildlife artist.
"Louisville extends along the river for seven or eight miles . . . The rumbling sound of the waters, as they tumble over the rock paved bed of the rapids, is at all times soothing to the ear. Fish and game are abundant. But above all, the generous hospitality of the inhabitants . . . had induced me to fix upon it as a place of residence."
Audubon was born in Haiti, educated in France and moved to the US in 1803 to avoid Napoleon's war draft. He and his new bride, Lucy Bakewell Audubon, moved to Louisville, KY, in 1808, where he ran a general store when he wasn't pursuing birds. Their first child, Victor Gifford Audubon, was born there. They moved to Henderson, KY, in 1811.
Abandoning the custom of painting wildlife in stiff poses, he used wire to hold a dead bird (which he had shot) in a lifelike pose, frequently with outstretched wings. Since no one had binoculars at that time, shooting a bird was the only way to get a close look at it. He revolutionized wildlife painting by portraying his specimens in their natural habitats.
Audubon dedicated himself to publishing books of hand-colored engravings of his paintings of every bird species in North America. Because he insisted that each bird's portrayal be life-sized, the books had "double elephant" pages, 39.5 inches by 28.5 inches!
To raise the necessary funds, he sold advance subscriptions. Yet only the wealthy could afford such a luxury nearly two centuries ago. So Audubon shrewdly tapped affluent European's keen interest in the American frontier. Dressed in buckskins and telling more than his share of tall tales, the "American Woodsman" made the rounds among European socialites' parties and charmed his way into enough subscription sales to realize his dream. Once the first volume was published, Audubon and his talents quickly became sensations.
Origins of the Audubon Society
When the Audubon Society first formed in 1886, plume hunters were decimating North American bird populations in the name of fashion. Ladies trimmed their hats and clothing with birds' exotic feathers. Shorebirds and migratory birds that stayed near the water suffered the most as hunters targeted large flocks, injuring animals indiscriminately and orphaning chicks.
George Bird Grinnell, the Audubon Society's founder, was an atypical animal activist. He ran "Forest and Stream," a hunting and fishing journal, and enjoyed quarrying big game. But the unmitigated slaughter of birds for their feathers disturbed even the most avid hunters. Grinnell began publishing pieces against plume hunting in his magazine. His enthusiasm soon drove him to produce an independent pamphlet, entitled "Audubon Magazine," in honor of the illustrator John James Audubon. Although Grinnell had not known Audubon, he had attended the day school of the artist's widow and wandered among his artifacts.The Society existed only in the magazine,andGrinnell could not keep pace with the magazine's success shutting down publication in 1888.
Eight years later, Boston socialite Harriet Hemenway decided to take her own stand against the still-rampant practice of plume hunting. She and a cousin scoured the Boston Blue Book, an index of the city's elite, marking names of fashionable women who dressed in plumes and inviting them to join a society for the protection of birds. Hemenway united the ladies with naturalists and people interested in ornithology; the group called itself the Massachusetts Audubon Society.
By the turn of the century, the society had expanded across the country, unified under a national committee and encouraged federal and state legislation against plume hunting. The Audubon Society helped create the first Federal Bird Reservation which ultimately led to the formation of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
History of the Christmas Bird Count
Prior to the turn of the century, people engaged in a holiday tradition known as the Christmas "Side Hunt": They would choose sides and go afield with their guns; whoever brought in the biggest pile of feathered (and furred) quarry won.
Conservation was in its beginning stages around the turn of the 20th century, and many observers and scientists were becoming concerned about declining bird populations. Beginning on Christmas Day 1900, ornithologist Frank Chapman, an early officer in the then budding Audubon Society, proposed a new holiday tradition-a "Christmas Bird Census"-that would count birds in the holidays rather than hunt them.
So began the Christmas Bird Count. Thanks to the inspiration of Frank M. Chapman and the enthusiasm of twenty-seven dedicated birders, twenty-five Christmas Bird Counts were held that day. The locations ranged from Toronto, Ontario to Pacific Grove, California with most counts in or near the population centers of northeastern North America. Those original 27 Christmas Bird Counters tallied around 90 species on all the counts combined.
Here's the news of activities for the Louisville Audubon Society.
Louisville Audubon Society
8207 Westport Rd.
Louisville, KY 40222
email: LouisvilleAudubon@gmail.com
Your Louisville Audubon Society underwrites environmental education programs for local Title I children that might not otherwise have an opportunity to explore and bond with nature. Mail your tax-deductible donation to:
Louisville Audubon Society
8207 Old Westport Road
Louisville, KY 40222
Membership in the Louisville chapter automatically gives you membership in the National Audubon Society.
Bird Hikes
Louisville Audubon Society associates with the Beckham Bird Club in Louisville for bird hikes and presentations. For scheduling information, please see http://beckhambirdclub.org
Officers and Directors
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