Hello!
It is that time of year for the BBS or breeding bird surveys put on by the
USGS. This is an amazing experience to participate in citizen science -
https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/index.cfm . While it is my husband who is the ;
official counter of our two routes, my ear birding has dramatically improved as
his data collection assistant over the last decade of running two routes. This
is an official plea to get VA birders involved in BBS routes, and to encourage
your friends across the country to participate too.
If you go to the BBS site, Virginia has just 6 open routes! Other states like
Maine and South Carolina do not have such great coverage. If you are good
enough to lead a trip for your local club, you could be ready to be a BBS
counter! The ear birding is crucial as is being able to get up very early to
run the route. It is important if you take a route to do it for many years so
the data is reliable. If you have more questions, the BBS site is amazing, and
it has great information on how to be a better birder!
Just a plug to get involved with a very important data set that will help many
scientists understand how bird populations are changing - up or down - or
remaining constant - over time! Happy birding - cheers - Robyn P.
Robyn Puffenbarger, Ph.D. | Biology | Associate Professor of Biology
phone: 540-828-5713 | fax: 540-828-5661 | online:
bridgewater.edu<http://www.bridgewater.edu/>
