Máistir Nádúraí: The Great Backyard Bird Count

2.15.2006

The Great Backyard Bird Count

Hey! Don't forget this weekend is the Great Backyard Bird Count and everyone is welcome to participate. Regardless of your birding skill level, sightings you report will help contribute to a continentwide snapshot of this winter's birds. This winter has been unusually warm and it will be interesting to see how 2006 compares to other years - I've certainly noticed difference in bird species. Hopefully, I'll be reporting a backyard Yellow-rumped Warbler this weekend. It was still there yesterday, so I'm pretty confident it will remain for the count.

Link: The Great Backyard Bird Count

Red-breasted Nuthatch image © 2006 Mike McDowell

Bio:

Mike McDowell has been documenting southern Wisconsin’s flora and fauna since 1987 and began leading field trips in 2002. Prolific at Pheasant Branch Conservancy, other highlighted natural areas include Pope Farm Conservancy, Spring Green Preserve, and the Baraboo Hills. His nature photography has appeared in various publications, newspapers, magazines and was even featured on a Wisconsin Endangered Resources license plate, a Capital Brewery beer label, and a National Geographic publication. He began journaling nature observations on this blog in 2005. He's the recipient of the 2012 Bronze Passenger Pigeon Award from the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions in their local communities or state to promote the field of ornithology. He was a finalist in Swarovski’s Digiscoper of the Year photography contest several times. His other interests include insect macro-photography (especially tiger beetles, treehoppers, and robber flies), fossil collecting, amateur astronomy, botany, natural history, and marksmanship with long-range rifles. Once a gigging musician, collecting Fender Stratocasters is a recently revived interest—most prized being a 1957 Vintage Custom Shop 'Mary Kaye' White Blonde. A former IT Professional, he's spent the last 24 years employed in the sport optics industry.