FreeLists / birdky / [birdky] Fwd: Great Backyard Bird Count coming soon!

[s hankla <hshankla@xxxxxxxxx>]

  MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
   
  11th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count 
  February 15 ? 18, 2008
   Count for Fun, Count for the Future!
   
  Dear Great Backyard Bird Count participant,
   
  Your chance to take part in the eleventh Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) 
comes up in a few short weeks. Don?t miss out on this great opportunity to have 
fun and help us find out where the birds are this winter. Read on for new and 
exciting features of this year?s event.
   
  What?s new this year?
  Check out the GBBC website (www.birdcount.org) for improved features, 
including:
    
   Ability to submit YouTube bird videos. The best videos will be posted on the 
GBBC website  
   Expanded sparrow identification page  
   New bird call identification game for kids  
   New FAQ section and narrated GBBC overview
  Spread the Word
We hope you'll spread the word this year by encouraging your friends to 
participate. You can forward this email to them or direct them to visit the 
website at www.birdcount.org. Remember:  the GBBC is fun, free, and helps birds!
   
  Win something cool
When you send in your checklist this year, you will automatically be entered in 
a prize drawing to win items like binoculars, bird feeders, and a variety of 
great books!  Check out 
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/press/news-stories/prize-list-for-2008 for a 
listing of prizes.
   
  Submit Photos to our Online Gallery and photo contest
During the count, take digital photos of birds (and bird watchers!) and submit 
them to the GBBC website. All photos submitted will be entered in the photo 
contest, and some will be posted in an online gallery. Images will be accepted 
through March 1.
   
  Your counting counts
In 2007, GBBC participants made history, breaking records for the number of 
birds reported and number of checklists submitted. Participants sent in more 
than 80,000 checklists tallying over 11 million birds of 613 species. Last 
year, as a result of your counts, we discovered that many bird species had 
already started their spring migrations in February?earlier than in decades 
past. Your counts help us build a long-term record of where people are finding 
birds and how many birds there are. Although your bird counts need to take 
place from February 15-18, you can submit data as late as March 1, 2008. If you 
have any questions, please contact us at citizenscience@xxxxxxxxxxx or 
cornellbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxx
   
  Remember, count for fun, count for the future!  We can?t wait to see what you 
discover this year.  
   
  Sincerely,
   
   
  Janis Dickinson, Director of Citizen Science, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  Rob Fergus, Senior Scientist, National Audubon Society
  Melissa Hopkins, Education Associate, National Audubon Society  


       
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