Bird lovers can help the Audubon Society keep track of avian populations when the annual nationwide Backyard Bird Count begins today.
Participants can count birds at parks, in the backyard or anywhere else and log the highest number of each species seen at one time on the web at from today through Monday, Feb. 18.
Human encroachment on wildlife habitats, predators and pollution have all taken a toll on birds, said Doris Cruze, board president of the Audubon Society of Greater Denver.
Some species have seen steep declines in their numbers, she added. “There are declines in most species of birds and they are a great indicator of the environment.”
The bird count “helps us get a picture of activity all across the nation.”
Bird populations are constantly in flux as they move across the country.
Even a large team of scientists couldn’t document the complex movements of so many species as well as the backyard bird count does.
Some birds that watchers can easily spot in Denver are Chickadees, Flickers, Downey Woodpeckers, Juncos, Finches and Sparrows, Bushtits, Crows, Ringed Neck Doves, and Blue Jays.
But it takes a little luck to see a Nuthatch, small birds that can have markings ranging from the Pygmy Nuthatch’s grey crown and ashy blue back, to the White Breasted Nuthatch’s grey, black and white plumage, Cruze said.
Flocks of Cedar Wax Wings sometimes move through the area during the winter. These birds are sleek and “dapper,” and easily recognized by their yellow brown plumage, crest and black mask, according to .
The Cornell Ornithology Lab has an All About Birds website where watchers can learn how to identify species – .rnell.edu/AllAboutBirds/birding123/identify/
Tom McGhee: (303)954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
