Great Backyard Bird Count: A Day of Birding Programs!

We’re excited to join the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for this community science blitz! Participate for 15 minutes or more, from wherever you are—details at www.birdcount.org. Stop by the Frances Plecker Education Center the week of February 12 to pick up a free checklist of local birds you’re likely to spot.

Bird Count Participant Friday, Feb. 16 through Monday, Feb. 19—anywhere, anytime!

You’re welcome to come birding at the Arboretum, but you can participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count anywhere. Check out www.birdcount.org for more information. If you register, we can email you a checklist of birds in our arboretum birding hotspot.

You can also join us at the Frances Plecker Education Center on Saturday, Feb. 17 for one of our educational programs. Please register for one or more of these programs here. http://tinyurl.com/EJCAbirding

*Birding Basics with the Rockingham Bird Club*
Saturday, Feb. 17 at 10:30 AM
(An adult-oriented program, but interested kids are welcome)

The Rockingham Bird Club will give an overview of local birds and then how to find them, then we’ll go out into the Arboretum to do some scouting for the bird count! This program is designed for adults, but families are welcome.

*Soundscapes of Backyard Bird Communities*
Saturday, Feb. 17 at 12 p.m.
(An adult-oriented program, but interested kids are welcome)

JMU ornithologist Dr. Dana Moseley will discuss how bird communities and soundscapes change from urban to suburban to rural habitats, and how these differing communities can impact individual species’ behaviors. Dr. Moseley and her JMU students investigate how birdsong, behavior, and nesting success are affected by urban noise pollution.

*Bird Feeding Frenzy*
Saturday, Feb. 17 at 1:30 p.m.
(A kid-orientated program, but interested adults are welcome)

We will learn about what foods birds need to survive–what they eat and why, how different beak shapes benefit birds, and what’s important to know about setting up a bird feeder. Participants will make a bird feeder out of recycled materials to take home.