Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Calling all bird lovers. On February 15 through 18, you have a chance to participate in The Eleventh Annual Great Backyard Bird Count.

The Great Backyard bird count is a nationwide event coordinated by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

Joshua Rose is a natural resource specialist at Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park. The park is part of the World Birding Center.

The Backyard Bird Count started as a count where people just count on their own property, in their own backyard. But over the years they’ve gradually expanded it, and encouraged people to count birds not just in their backyards, but also to count in, say, local city parks and around their neighborhoods, and wherever they happen to spend time that weekend.

The Great Backyard Bird Count, says Rose, is one of the first steps many people take when first getting involved birding. All you need is a field guide and an internet connection.

The whole count works through an online data entry. The data is entered through a website, and so when a person reports bird sightings to the Great Backyard Bird Count, the website has blanks to fill in for where and when they counted the birds and for how long.

Find a link for the data forms at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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