Each February, more than 160,000 people of all ages and walks of life join together worldwide to create an annual snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds. Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the 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.
On Tuesday, February 11th, 7:00pm to 8:30pm, at Bethel’s Byrd’s Books, you can learn about how to participate in this annual bird count with Kate Pratt from the Audubon Center at Bent of the River. The Great Backyard Bird Count 2020 takes place from February 14-17th, and the bookshop’s owner Alice Hutchinson is “all-in” to celebrate birds and just how important their futures are in and for the region. Byrd's Books is located at 178 Greenwood Avenue, adjacent to The Toy Room and the nearby landmarked Opera House, across the street from the Bethel Public Library.
If you want to know more about the Great Backyard Bird Count, save your spot at Byrd's Books by visiting https://conta.cc/30uL3La The event is free and open to the public. The popular independent bookstore will have related books in stock for the event, and light refreshments will be served.
(photo of pine grosbeak by Maggie Leary, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada)