Great Backyard Bird Count Tallies

Me, Eddie, my mom and Freddie have a bet to see who will observe the widest variety of birds during the Great Backyard Bird Count. I haven't received my mom's or Eddie's yet - but here's Fred's & Mine. Fred had much better day!
Fred - Sat. Feb. 16 - Oakland County, MI

• 1 Coopers Hawk
• 6 Mourning Doves
• 1 Downy Woodpecker
• 2 American Crows
• 3 Red breasted Nuthatches
• 4 Juncos
• 1 Cardinal
• 2 House finches
• 7 House Sparrows

Shelley - Otsego County, MI

• 9 Black-capped Chickadees
• 1 Tufted Titmouse
• 2 White breasted Nuthatches
• 1 Hairy Woodpecker

Great Backyard Bird Count Starts Today!

The 11th annual Great Backyard Bird Count starts today! It runs from February 15th through February 18th. To learn more and submit your checklist, please visit: http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/ . Last year Michigan was one of the top ten states to submit the most checklists. I received a beautiful certificate which I framed. We're heading up north to Gaylord today to check on the progress of our log cabin, so I will be counting from there. I already have suet cakes and bird feeders set up with black sunflower seeds. Last weekend we had quite a few Black-capped Chickadees flying about so I expect more of the same this weekend. My mom is hoping she gets a better variety than her usual "10,000 sparrows." I bought her a heated bird bath this year so hopefully that acts as a good attractant.