The annual Great Backyard Bird Count is this weekend, February 13 – 16. The event was started in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. It was the first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time.
The Northern Cardinal, above, is a frequent visitor to my backyard. I always have a supply of sunflower and safflower seeds in my feeders; a favorite food for cardinals, and many other song birds.
Citizen Scientists Needed
The Backyard Bird Count is an opportunity for citizen scientists around the world to help researchers by spending a few minutes counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are. It’s as easy as looking out your window for 15 minutes or going for a walk at a local park.
People of all ages and skill levels can participate. You do not need to be an expert to contribute. Even if you can only identify the common birds, you can still take part in the count.
How to participate
- Get started by creating an account if you have not participated in the past.
- Download an instruction sheet.
- Print a checklist of birds for your area.
- Count birds for 15 minutes or more.
- Enter your results on the birdcount webpage.
The Red-breasted Nuthatch on the right is enjoying my backyard peanut feeder. They are occasional winter visitors to the Chicago area, but usually spend their winters further north.
Red-breasted Nuthatches are irruptive migrants and will only leave their usual range when their food supply becomes scarce. They have not visited my yard this winter and sightings in the area have been infrequent. These are the type of trends that scientists are evaluating.
Why Count in February?
You might be wondering why a bird count that originated in North America is held in the coldest month of the year. The reason was to create a snapshot of the distribution of birds just before spring migrations begin in March. Several years ago a change was made and the count went global, creating snapshots of birds wherever they are in February, regardless of seasons across the hemispheres.
The Dark-eyed Junco, above, is a winter migrant across much of North America. They are predictable and return every year. When they appear in my yard in October, I know winter isn’t far behind.
Where to find birds?
Your backyard, at a local park or wildlife refuge, or wherever you like to watch birds.
I count in several places. The easiest is my backyard where I have several feeders and a regular crowd of birds. I can always count on cardinals, finches, woodpeckers and sparrows to stop by for a meal. I also count on the trails at the park and the forest preserve, weather permitting. With the cold temperatures we are having this weekend, I will probably count in my backyard where I can look out the window and not freeze.
Mourning Doves are also year-round residents. On a below freezing day, the bird in the photo above is taking advantage of the warm air rising from my heated bird bath.
Last Year’s Statistics
Graphic and figures from gbbc.birdcount.org
Checklists Submitted: 144,109 | Total Species Observed: 4,296 | Countries participating: 135
There’s Still Time to Participate
Head on over to the GBBC start-up page and join in.
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A Rapid Review
Lillian on Life by Alison Jean Lester
Publisher: Penguin Audio | January 2015
Format: Audio Download | 4½ hours | Rating: 3½ stars
Audio Listening Level: Easy
This is the story of Lillian, a single woman reflecting on her choices and imagining her future. Born in the Midwest in the 1930s; Lillian lives, loves, and works in Europe in the fifties and early sixties; she settles in New York and pursues the great love of her life in the sixties and seventies. Now it’s the early nineties, and she’s taking stock.
This was an interesting look at an unconventional woman – one who made choices that were not the standard in her time. And although Lillian claimed she always wanted marriage and children, her choices in men and career caused her to remain single. But Lillian still lived her life to the fullest.
It was written in the style of a memoir using a series of short chapters with titles that sound like an instruction manual on the life Lillian is reflecting back upon; such as: “On the Dual Purpose of Things”, “On One-Night Stands”, “On Us”, “On Looking the Part”, “On the End”.
Witty and full of life, Lillian’s story will entertain women of all ages… and might enlighten a few men too!
Audio production:
At only a little over four hours, I listened to this in one afternoon. It was pleasantly narrated by Kathe Mazur; an easy, entertaining listen.
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Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
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Today I am hosting a stop on Burt Weissbourg’s Virtual Tour for his latest release, Teaser, a thriller set in the Pacific Northwest.
Teaser by Burt Weissbourd
Synopsis:
Teaser, the sequel to Inside Passage, takes Corey and Abe into the interconnected worlds of private school kids and the runaways who roam Seattle’s streets. Billy attends the Olympic Academy, where two friends, Maisie and Aaron, are experimenting with sex and drugs. They’ve become close to Star, a streetwise seductress who leads them down a treacherous path. Despite the best efforts of Abe and Corey, Maisie is abducted by the diabolical “Teaser,” a man determined to take revenge on her father, his former cellmate. Teaser is a mystery to everyone except Abe and Corey, who alone realize what they must do to rescue Maisie. They contrive a plan that shocks even them.
February 10, 2015 | Rare Bird Books
Hardcover, 280 pages
About the Author
Burt Weissbourd writes character-driven thrillers. Reviewers describe his work as “brilliantly detailed, evocative … thrillingly suspenseful.” “His descriptions are luscious.” “An incredibly strong and intelligent female protagonist.” “[His] dark characters rank with some of Koontz’s and King’s worst imaginaries.”
Burt began his career producing movies, working closely with screenwriters, then writing his own screenplays. A newcomer to Hollywood, he approached writers whose movies he loved — movies such as “Klute,” “Two for the Road,” and “Ordinary People” — and worked with those writers and others, including working with Ross Macdonald, a legend in crime fiction, on his only screenplay.
This was the “New Hollywood” (1967 – 1980), and he found writers whose work grabbed viewers viscerally, not with explosions but with multi-dimensional characters who would draw you into a deeply moving story. Savvy actors wanted to play finely drawn characters in compelling stories, and before long, Burt was developing screenplays, working directly with Robert Redford, Lily Tomlin, Goldie Hawn, Sally Field, and Jill Clayburg, among others.
As a producer developing a screenplay, he looked for stories with strong, complex characters and a “rich stew” — that is to say, a situation with conflict, emotional intensity, and the potential to evolve in unexpected ways. This is exactly what he tries to create for the books he writes.
Connect with Burt Weissbourd
Facebook | Webpage| Goodreads | Twitter | Amazon
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Almost wordless: The Dark-eyed Juncos are very resilient. They will forage in the snow and cold looking for seed that I sprinkle on the deck railing.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Welcome to Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia of To Be Continued, a place where readers share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
After several years of being on tour with different blogs as the monthly host, the Mailbox Monday Blog is now the permanent home for the meme.
It’s been a slow week on the blog for me. I’m still reading, but haven’t done much writing the last week or two. Working, volunteering, running errands, cooking, cleaning, clearing snow, clearing more snow, falling asleep in front of the TV – my brain gets foggy in the winter and I am desperately craving warmth and sunshine!
A few new books showed up last week and fortunately my mailbox didn’t get knocked down during last weekend’s blizzard, so all arrived safe and sound.
New Arrivals
The World Before Us by Aislinn Hunter from Hogarth.
A hauntingly poignant novel about madness, loss, and the ties that bind our past to our present.
The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell by William Klaber from St. Martin’s Press.
The riveting true story of Lucy Lobdell, who, in 1855, left her home and family, cut her hair, changed clothes, and went off to live her life as a man. By the time it was over, she was notorious.
Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin from Crown Books.
If habits are a key to change, then what we really need to know is: How do we change our habits? Better than Before answers that question. It presents a practical, concrete framework to allow readers to understand their habits—and to change them for good.
The Tusk That Did the Damage by Tania James from Knopf and TLC Tours.
A tour de force set in South India that plumbs the moral complexities of the ivory trade through the eyes of a poacher, a documentary filmmaker, and, in a feat of audacious imagination, an infamous elephant known as the Gravedigger.
How was your week?
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© 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Advertisements appearing on this site are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed or approved by me.
Welcome to Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia of To Be Continued, a place where readers share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
After several years of being on tour with different blogs as the monthly host, the Mailbox Monday Blog is now the permanent home for the meme.
Nothing in my snowy mailbox last week. I did receive one audiobook download. Something a little different – dystopian scifi fantasy.
New Arrivals
Mort[e] by Robert Repino
from Blackstone Audio through Audiobook Jukebox.
A genre-busting postapocalyptic first novel – a page-turning adventure channeling “Animal Farm” as imagined by Cormac McCarthy
Former house cat turned war hero Mort(e) is famous for taking on the most dangerous missions and fighting the dreaded human bioweapon EMSAH. But the true motivation behind Mort(e)’s recklessness is his ongoing search for a pretransformation friend a dog named Sheba…
How was your week?
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© 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Almost wordless: The Mallards will stay here in the winter as long as they can find open water.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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