The Great Backyard Bird Count and Bird Atlas

The Great Backyard Bird Count

Bird Atlas

We thought you’d like to know about a statewide citizen science program that you can be a part of — the CT Bird Atlas, the statewide bird count that seeks interested environmental stewards such as yourself to document our bird population. The information session is on Monday, March 26, from 7 – 8:30pm, in the Western Connecticut State University Science Building, room SB125, midtown campus. The University is located at 181 White Street, Danbury, CT 06810.

Craig Rapasz, director of the Connecticut Bird Atlas, will explain how the project will map all bird species and document the distribution, abundance and breeding activities of birds throughout the state. The resulting data will be used to analyze and compare changes from the last count in the early 1980s and to determine priority areas for bird conservation and land protection into the future.

“The public should attend because their familiarity with the birds of our area can help contribute to the cataloging of the diversity and frequency of Connecticut birds,”Dr. Dora Pinou, professor of biological and environmental sciences said. “Birds are critical in managing small mammal and insect pests known to carry disease. By feeding on these animals, birds can help keep the incidence of human infection low. This presentation will educate the public on how they can maintain a healthy bird habitat, and why they should be concerned with changes in Connecticut bird distributions and diversity.”The presentation is sponsored by Praxair and is conjunction with the Finding Our Way Science Enrichment Program. The WCSU Herpetology club is providing refreshments.