Bird Notes | Preparing for the Great Backyard Bird Count along the Grand Strand

February is an interesting month for birds in our area. Many of our feathered friends are showing signs of the impending spring.

Some of our resident birds are showing signs of spring behaviors, especially chickadees and titmouses. Cardinals are becoming more aggressive with one another, pine warblers can be heard singing during the day, and native red maple trees have begun to bud and bloom, attracting a number of bird species to the tiny flowers for nectar as well as insect prey.

While signs of spring’s approach appear, many winter bird species continue in the area, taking advantage of backyard feeders and natural resources as they await the time to return to more northern breeding grounds. The 19th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is scheduled for Feb. 12-15.

A joint venture of Cornell’s Lab for Ornithology, National Audubon Society and others, the GBBC is a citizen science project that seeks to take a snapshot each year of the occurrence and distribution of winter birds across North America. Everyone is encouraged to participate during the worldwide event by observing and reporting birds seen at feeders, in yards, neighborhoods, favorite birding spot, natural area, state park, wildlife refuge, etc. The data submitted is compiled via website and results are viewable in real time on the web. The GBBC website can be accessed here: http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/ and contains a wealth of information including a video outlining details on how to count birds and enter your data, bird checklists, links to previous year’s count results, photo galleries and much more. There’s no cost to participate, and it’s a great opportunity to put your birding activity to use in assisting the worldwide study of our feathered friends. Feel free to contact me with any questions you might have about the count.

Mid-February is also the time that Eastern bluebirds start prospecting for suitable nesting sites in our area. Valentine’s Day is a good date to use as a reminder to clean out and make any needed repairs to bluebird nest boxes. If our mild winter weather continues, we may have an “early spring” and the birds will be anxious to get their first nesting attempts underway post haste. If all goes well, these beautiful birds may often raise three broods during the breeding season. To help protect the birds’ efforts, bluebird boxes should be mounted on a post or pole with a baffle/guard installed to deter any would-be predators.

This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Bird Notes | Preparing for the Great Backyard Bird Count along the Grand Strand."