For The Birds: Audubon counts on citizen scientists

Note: Ohlhausen is correct.
STAFF PHOTO FLIP PUTTHOFF 
FIRST-DAY HIKE
Eva Ohlhausen, left, and Jay Schneider look at an Ozark chinquapin tree during a New Year's Day hike on Thursday Jan. 1 2015 on the Sinking Stream Trail at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area east of Rogers. Schneider, assistant superintendent at Hobbs, identified various plants and showed how prescribed burns at the park improve the health of the forest. Hobbs and Devil's Den State Park near Winslow were among the Arkansas state parks that hosted guided hikes on New Year's Day.
Note: Ohlhausen is correct. STAFF PHOTO FLIP PUTTHOFF FIRST-DAY HIKE Eva Ohlhausen, left, and Jay Schneider look at an Ozark chinquapin tree during a New Year's Day hike on Thursday Jan. 1 2015 on the Sinking Stream Trail at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area east of Rogers. Schneider, assistant superintendent at Hobbs, identified various plants and showed how prescribed burns at the park improve the health of the forest. Hobbs and Devil's Den State Park near Winslow were among the Arkansas state parks that hosted guided hikes on New Year's Day.

Bird lovers, take note: Today marks the start of the Great Backyard Bird Count, a two decade-plus tradition sponsored by the Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. During the four days of the count, bird watchers of all ages -- and all skill levels -- are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes -- or as long as they want! -- and submit an online form that details their findings to the Audubon Society.

"Each checklist submitted during the GBBC helps researchers at the National Audubon Society, Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada learn more about how birds are doing, and how to protect them and the environment we share," reads a press release on the Audubon Society's website. "Recently, more than 160,000 participants submitted their bird observations online, creating the largest instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations ever recorded."

Locally, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art will host a virtual presentation about the GBBC, delivered by Jay Schneider, assistant superintendent at Hobbs State Park. Schneider knows what he's talking about: He's clocked more than 20 years in the field and has worked in Arkansas state parks for 18 years.

"I always have been," he says when asked if he's particularly interested in birds. He says part of the appeal is the variety of species you can spot in any given month. "They're easy to find year-round, maybe not the same exact species -- that's constantly changing. The birds you see this month will not be the same birds we see in July."

Schneider points out that while, on its face, the GBBC looks like just a fun family activity, it actually serves an important purpose.

"[The process teaches] non-trained citizens to report what they're seeing at their backyard bird houses. Imagine if every neighborhood in the United States did that, the kind of record we would have, overall," he says. "When you get data in such a large set, that's how we start to see trends, that's how we know migration patterns. Observations from citizens allow us to look at specific species and say, 'Look at the numbers from 30 years ago, versus what we're seeing this year. All things being equal, obviously something is going awry.' That's the value of citizen science like this.'"

Danielle Hatch is a programmer at Crystal Bridges. She says this is the museum's fourth year hosting a presentation about the event, a part of the "Discover the Grounds" nature series.

"We actually have several works by Audubon in our collection -- a painting and several lithographs," she says. "When we became aware of this effort with the Cornell Lab, we thought it was a great way to connect the mission of Audubon to the works in our collection, as well as to help guests to get to know the local bird population in Arkansas. That allows us to feel more connected with the natural world and engage with this collection, as well."

Schneider's popular presentations fill up quickly, but, because this one is offered online, more people should be able to attend.

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FAQ

Discover the Grounds:

Backyard Bird Count

WHEN — 10:30 a.m. Saturday

WHERE — Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art via Zoom

COST — Free

INFO — Register at crystalbridges.org

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