Bird Counts
What birds live in the watershed?
We are lucky to have many dedicated birders in the watershed who from time to time share their lists with us. We also have birders who participate in the Christmas Bird Count and the Great Backyard Bird Count, national efforts by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society.
If you are a bird watcher, we would love to have your bird lists!
Updates from the Field
Green Acres Meadow and surrounds:
Over 65 species of birds have been spotted in the woods and areas near Westbrook Elementary School, the Green Acres Meadow, and the Westbrook ES Meadow.
Thank you to John Boright and Mike Flibbert for sharing their lists.
The Christmas Bird Count:
Started over 100 years ago, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is the nation's longest-running community science bird project. The data collected by CBC participants over the past century and more have become one of only two large pools of information informing ornithologists and conservation biologists how the birds of the Americas are faring over time. Participants register online for a section and receive training on the protocol to use for their 24 hour census.
Each count takes place in an established 15-mile wide diameter circle, and is organized by a count compiler. Count volunteers follow specified routes through a designated 15-mile (24-km) diameter circle, counting every bird they see or hear all day. It's not just a species tally—all birds are counted all day, giving an indication of the total number of birds in the circle that day. Thousands of volunteers across the US and Canada participate.
Join a Circle
The Little Falls Watershed participants survey Sector 7 - MD Neighborhood Parks - which includes the area of Sangamore, Glen Echo Heights, Wood Acres, Westland Middle School/Little Falls Library grounds, Capello, Vinton, Willard Av., Westbrook Elementary School grounds, and the trails between Capello, Vinton, and Willard Avenue Parks. Visit HERE to learn how you can join a circle.
Click below to download a copy of the bird count list:
Christmas Bird Count 2018 is HERE. - The bird counting team wants people to know that the Bird Count was on December 15, and it rained all day. Despite their best efforts, they only found 12 species and 60 individuals - not really representative of what is there on a more normal day.
Christmas Bird Count 2017 is HERE
Christmas Bird Count 2016 is HERE
Christmas Bird Count 2015 is HERE
Christmas Bird Count 2009 is HERE
We are so grateful to citizen scientists for this data.
More information about the CBC is HERE as well as analysis of the data by Audubon and the Cornell lab or Ornithology.
The Great Backyard Bird Count:
The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) takes place over President's day weekend every year with a less rigorous protocol. Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count was the first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time.
Participants are asked to spend at least 15 minutes on one or more days over the three-day weekend and tally the numbers and kinds of birds they see. The results are entered into the GBBC database. In 2017, over 180,000 participated in more that 100 countries. They counted more than 6,200 species of birds. More information about how you can participate in the count is HERE.
Click HERE for reports from Little Falls Watershed Alliance members from the 2016 GBBC.