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See the birdie? Grab your binoculars!

The Great Backyard Bird Count is under way

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED FEB 12, 2021

Whether you count yellow-billed magpies in the local park (there are at least 18 in the photo, including some in the shade) or hummingbirds in the garden, you can be part of the Great Backyard Bird Count this weekend. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

Here’s a way to help nature and entertain your kids – and you don’t even have to leave your backyard!

It’s the Great Backyard Bird Count, an exercise in citizen science that keeps tabs on our feathered friends.

Held from Feb. 12 through 15, this avian census relies on the sharp eyes of volunteers nationwide.

Co-hosted by the Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the GBBC is open to birdwatchers of all ages and abilities nationwide. And it’s free to participate.

The challenge is simple: Count how many birds you see during a 15-minute period (or more) during the four-day event in a specific space, such as your backyard. You also can count birds in a neighborhood park, along a stream or river, or wherever you like. The key: Document what you see including the bird species as well as number.

Handy tools are offered online to help with identification, such as Merlin Bird ID. (It can ID most of your sightings with three easy questions.) Also, take photos to help with that ID process (and to document your observation – experienced bird watchers will review your findings).

Then, submit your list of birds to the GBBC using the eBird tool (also available online).

Last year’s GBBC (before pandemic lockdowns) set all sorts of records. According to organizers, a total of 6,942 species were counted worldwide. In all, 249,444 checklists were submitted by an estimated 268,674 participants.

The most common sighting? That was the Northern Cardinal, with its familiar color and distinctive head. In terms of population, snow geese topped the charts with nearly 7.2 million included in this census.

With 13,331 checklists (a new state record), California topped all participating states in 2020 followed by New York, Texas and Florida. Many of those California lists came from the greater Sacramento area, always a hotbed of birding. (Hint: American crows are among our most frequently sighted birds.)

Organizers note that the GBBC is an ideal and safe activity during COVID-19 restrictions. Social distancing and face masks are encouraged if watching with others.

To participate or learn more: https://www.birdcount.org/

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GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

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gardens magpies gardening hummingbirds Sacramento birds February bird count wildlife parks California

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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3

November still offers good weather for fall planting:

* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.

* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.

* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.

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