Spread the Word!
Your Help Will Make a Difference
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| Golden-fronted Woodpecker. Photo by 2007 GBBC participant Linda Alley, TX |
The success of the Great Backyard Bird Count depends on participants from every community to count birds across the United States and Canada. Help spread the word in your town by asking people to count birds for at least 15 minutes during February 15-18, 2008. It's fun, easy, raises awareness of birds, and provides an important record of where the birds are--a record that scientists can use well into the future to track how birds are faring as their environments change.
During the 2007 count, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon challenged everyone to “Count for the Record” by submitting more checklists than ever before. And you did it! Have a look at all the “checklist champs”who helped break the all-time GBBC record for the total number of checklists submitted: more than 80,000 were submitted in 2007!
Seven Ways to Spread the Word in Your Community
1) Put up posters and distribute brochures in your community. You can download a poster/brochure and print it out. (Note that posters from ink jet printers may not last in the rain.) If you prefer to receive posters in the mail, we will send them to you. Just email Jennifer Smith at jls39@cornell.edu. Write "GBBC poster" in the subject line. In the body of the text, provide your mailing address and the number of posters you would like.
2) Alert bird clubs, community groups, and newsletters about the count. You can print out a poster and press release or send an email with a link to the Great Backyard Bird Count web site, www.birdcount.org.
For suggestions about which groups to contact, see our list of community groups.
3) As the count nears, send email messages to your friends, relatives, and favorite list serves, encouraging people to participate.
4) Send the press release to local newspapers and television and radio stations about the count in January or early February. See our tips on how to contact the media. A timely calendar announcement or feature can significantly boost participation in your area. Be sure to mention if you are willing to be interviewed about the count.
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| Red-tailed Hawk (dark morph). Photo by 2007 GBBC participant Ted Schroeder, OR |
6) Set up a count site at an Audubon Center, park, or nature center in your area. During the count, lead bird walks or give demonstrations to visitors. Be sure to let local media know about our event in advance to help publicize it. If you organize such an event, let us know about it so we can add it to the GBBC web site calendar. Send the date, location, and contact information to Pat Leonard at pel27@cornell.edu.
7) Provide data forms and regional checklists for people without Internet access. Ask them to return the data forms to you so you can enter the data on the GBBC web site by March 1, 2008. If you cannot enter the data, the forms can be sent to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Download the
data form.
Find and print
your state or provincial checklist.
8) Help enter checklists sent to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon. Help our staff contribute needed information to the GBBC database by entering data received on forms from people without Internet access. We can send you forms that we receive from participants after the count. If you can enter the counts online, please fill our our online ambassador form to let us know you can help in this way. Let us know how many checklists you can enter (minimum of 15).
Would you like to be on our list of Great Backyard Bird Count ambassadors? As the count approaches, we'll send you email with ideas and updates about this year's count. Visit our GBBC ambassador page to find out more.
Thanks for your help. Best wishes to you for the eleventh annual Great Backyard Bird Count!
