ALL ABOUT THE BIRDS: The Great Backyard Bird Count celebrates the experience of identifying and counting species of birds. Lectures, walks, art exhibits, and backyard birdwatching are all among the community-wide offerings. (Photo by Tom Amico, Macaulay Library)
By Anne Levin
A project initiated by Princeton Public Library encourages the local community to join in an annual, international effort counting and recording sightings of different species of birds. From February 9-25, Princeton’s Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) will offer a variety of programs and activities at the library and around the community. The actual bird count is February 18-21.
The series marks the 25th anniversary of The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), which was launched by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. The “citizen-science” project encourages the public to collect data on wild birds and display results. Birds Canada joined in 2009, and the project went global in 2013 when GBBC began entering data into eBird, the world’s largest biodiversity-related citizen science project.
Princeton Public Library staff became aware of GBBC in January 2021. “We thought it was cute, but we didn’t have enough time to turn it around, so we decided to wait until this year,” said the library’s Community Engagement Coordinator Kim Dorman, who has put the project together. “As it evolved, I realized it’s not really just our program, and that we would love it if the whole town became involved.”
Once it was decided what events the library would host — a community art exhibit, photo exhibit, fiction book group, and a screening — Dorman began to contact other community organizations. “We reached out to as many partners as possible to see if they would like to do their own thing or something sponsored by the library,” she said. “People were excited about it. And that was great, because in addition to promoting the event, we wanted to promote civic engagement and practice citizen science.”
According to the GBBC website, an estimated 300,000 participated in the event last year. Some 6,436 species were identified. Those taking part in Princeton’s bird count are asked to watch and count birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once between February 18-21. For details and registration, visit princetonlibrary.org/birdcount/.
Activities begin February 9 at 1 p.m. with a presentation by Becca Rodomsky Bish of the Cornell Ornithology Lab about how to participate in the bird count. The library’s Fiction Book Group discusses Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy on February 10 at 10 a.m. On Sunday, February 13 at 2 p.m., the film Birders: The Central Park Effect is screened in the library’s Community Room. Bird walks around The Watershed Reserve and Mountain Lakes are scheduled for February 19 and 20 at 9 a.m., respectively.
Additional events include a talk on February 24, “Attracting Birds: Beyond the Bird Feeder” at 7 p.m., with environmentalist Kathy Easton; an art exhibit at D&R Greenway Land Trust, “New Jersey Birds and You,” through February 18, and the “Wild Princeton: Photographs by Leigh Faden” exhibit on display in the library’s Technology Center through February 25.
Special events for children include story times featuring books about birds available on the library’s YouTube channel, a “Take and Make Owl Craft” going on all day on February 12, and a bird migration game that same day, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Hinds Plaza. Educators from The Watershed Institute will encourage kids ages 4-12 to stretch their wings and imagine what obstacles birds might face during migration.
“I love that there are all of these different ways people can participate,” said Dorman. “They can be for someone just starting out with this sort of thing, or someone who is accomplished. The walks at The Watershed and Mountain Lakes are things people can join in ways they feel safe. We wanted to provide a lot of ways to participate, at everyone’s level of comfort. Everybody came up with different ideas that the library and others could contribute. It is a real community effort.”