[Image] Some friends reminded me that the Great Backyard Bird Count starts today. Fortunately it's a four-day event, so there's still plenty more time to be looking for birds. This is a great citizen scientist project, because you can do it right in your backyard. Or you can go on a special outing (read--good excuse to get out of the house!) to go find some birds.

Then you submit them on the GBBC website and scientists will look for trends. What birds are where and how does that differ from other years? Are certain species more predominant (like those blasted Eurasian collared doves that have nearly overtaken the mourning doves around here?)? What differences are there between cities, suburbs, and rural areas?

Despite the cold weather, there are birds nearly everywhere. Today I've seen mountain bluebirds (like the one in the photo above). I love the vibrant blue of their feathers. I've also seen a couple northern flickers, the most plentiful woodpecker around here, and with a conspicuous white rump easy to identify as it flies in its undulating pattern. I've seen dark-eyed juncos flitting in the trees and showing their tails with the white on the edges. A golden eagle was on the pole on the way to work. They are so much bigger than the other raptors around here (other than bald eagles) that it's easy to identify them.

Happy Birding! 
Let me know what you see.