Bird watchers set a new record
Contributed by Pat Leonard

In just four days, participants in the Great Backyard Bird Count tallied more than 11 million birds across the United States and Canada.

The GBBC, a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, engages people of all ages and levels of experience in learning about birds and reporting their sightings for conservation.

"There has never been a more detailed snapshot of continental bird distribution in history," said John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "It used to take scientists years to gather large- scale information about bird population and distribution, and the GBBC does it in just four days each year, thanks to a continent- wide community of birders reporting their counts online."

Along with collecting valuable data, the count also gathers new and vital support for the environment.

American Robins topped the list as the most numerous species counted, with more than two million robins reported from 60 states and provinces.

Participant Lorraine Margeson counted a flock of 750,000 robins roosting in a mangrove forest in St. Petersburg, Florida.

This year's rare birds included five Lesser Prairie- Chickens in Oklahoma and two Pink- footed Geese in Rhode Island, first records for the GBBC.

The GBBC online photo gallery shows images from across the continent, including a Rock Pigeon perched high above New York City, and a pink Roseate Spoonbill taking flight in Houston, Texas.

Full results of the count are available online at www.birdcount.org.