Good day all birders! Did you know that the Great Backyard Bird Count
begins this week?

>Starting this Friday, February 17, and continuing through Monday, February
>20, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon are asking all birders to
>contribute their counts to this year's mid-winter snapshot of bird
>populations across the continent.
>
>You can count birds for as little or as long as you like on any or all of
>the count days, at any location. Send your tallies to the Great Backyard
>Bird Count web site at http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc. As sightings pour
>in, you can see how your observations fit in with what others are
>reporting from around the United States and Canada.
>
>If you have a digital camera, take a few snapshots and consider submitting
>them to this year's online photo gallery and photo contest. The Lab and
>Audubon are also issuing awards to localities submitting the most
>checklists. This year's theme is to help beginners join in. Consider
>introducing the count to someone new, or sending this email message to
>others you think might be interested in participating.
>
>Last year, participants contributed one of the most comprehensive record
>sets ever for the GBBC, with more than 6 million birds counted and 612
>species reported. For details of highlights from last year, visit
>http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/press/news-stories/gbbc-highlights-2005/.
>
>For instructions, birding resources, past stories, and more, visit
>http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/.


Marge Villanova
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
159 Sapsucker Woods Road
Ithaca, NY  14850
Tel. 607-254-2473
Fax. 607-254-2415