The annual four-day Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) will be conducted Feb. 17-20 by bird watchers across the U.S. and Canada.
If I had a rare bird at my feeder, like the painted bunting regularly visiting Grady Bingham's feeder in Ooltewah, I'd make a special effort to report it on the GBBC.
If I had a great photograph of a rare bird reported on the GBBC, like the accompanying photo of the Ooltewah painted bunting taken by Tim Jeffers of East Ridge, Hamilton County, I'd enter the photo in the GBBC photo contest. Tim was the first on the scene to document the rarity with a photograph to prove the rare-in-Tennessee bunting's identity. It's nearly impossible to misidentify a male painted bunting but proof via a picture is always the best way to document a rare bird.
Grady phoned Jan. 23 to report the male painted bunting. First noticed on Jan. 21, the bird was still present as of Feb. 6. This multicolored bird must be the most beautiful bird in Tennessee this winter. Amazingly, last spring Grady's mother, Mabel Hickey of Loudon, told me her son in Ooltewah had a painted bunting at his feeder. The 2011 bunting appeared in mid-March and disappeared later that spring. A painted bunting two years in a row at the same feeder is almost certainly the same bird.
One goal of the GBBC is to record birds found outside their normal wintering ranges. Although painted buntings do nest rarely in southwest Tennessee and there are scattered records from across the state, a painted bunting in winter in Tennessee is very unusual. Normal wintering ranges are in south Florida, south Texas, and Mexico.
Bird watchers across the U.S. and Canada will tally millions of birds in the upcoming GBBC coordinated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, and Bird Studies Canada. Participants count birds at any location they wish for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count, then submit their tallies. Anyone can participate in the free event, and no registration is required.
"This count is so much fun because anyone can take part — we all learn and watch birds together — whether you are an expert, novice, or feeder watcher," said Gary Langham, Audubon's Chief Scientist. "I like to invite new birders to join me and share the experience. Get involved, invite your friends, and see how your favorite spot stacks up."