Jeff Stroup paused mid-sentence, raised a set of binoculars to his eyes and pointed to a small speck perched on the tallest branch of a distant tree nearby at the Audubon Center at Chatfield Park.
“See that?” Stroup asked. “It’s an American kestrel.”
Stroup, 56, of Littleton, had just finished a snowy Sunday morning of bird-watching at the park and counted American dippers and bufflehead ducks — as well as the Kestrel, North America’s smallest falcon — among his sightings for the day.
Stroup will join tens of thousands of people participating Friday through Feb. 20 in the National Audubon Society’s Great Backyard Bird Count, where birders of all skill levels nationwide track the species that visit their yards, neighborhood parks and open spaces.
“You’re just one little data point among thousands and thousands of people. It’s macro trending,” said Stroup, who likes being one of the many “citizen scientists” who help during the count.
In Colorado last year, observers noted 179,182 birds of 148 species. They turned in 1,740 check lists, according to the Audubon Society of Greater Denver.
Nationwide, watchers spotted 11.4 million birds and nearly 600 species.
The massive watch party aims to give the scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology a snapshot of bird populations across the country.
They’re looking for clues about migration, how weather or disease has affected birds and how distributions in cities compare with other areas.
Observers can watch for as little as 15 minutes or for as long as they like. Log on to for information about how to participate or to report findings.
“No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to document the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time,” according to the bird- count website.
Watchers should report the largest number of a species that they see at one time, said Dick Anderson, a master birder and volunteer at the Audubon Center.
For instance, if three European starlings visit at one time but five show up together 10 minutes later, the observer would record five starlings.
It also helps to have a squirrel-proof bird feeder and water in the backyard, he said.
“And of course, if you put out a bird feeder, you always by definition have a hawk feeder,” Anderson quipped.
The Audubon Center at Chatfield is hosting a kickoff event Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, where children can go on a binocular scavenger hunt and adults can learn tips to make their backyards more bird-friendly.
The most common birds spotted in Colorado last year were the Canada goose, the red-winged blackbird, the snow goose and the European starling.
But Anderson encouraged observers to keep their eyes out for a few special species that are less common in the area, such as the cedar waxwing, the mountain chickadee or the spruce-loving red-breasted nuthatch.
Spotting something more rare is part of the thrill.
“It’s great fun,” he said.
Jessica Fender: 303-954-1244 or jfender@denverpost.com
What is it?
The Great Backyard Bird Count 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 continent. For information on how to participate, go to .
