The Fanwood Environmental Commission wishes to thank all the participants and sponsors who came to the Bird Count Workshop on Saturday, February 9th at the Fanwood Nature Center.

Despite snow & rain, over 75 children and adults came to learn more how to identify area birds and count for the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), which is sponsored by the National Audubon Society & Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Participants came not only from Fanwood & Scotch Plains, but also from neighboring towns such as Plainfield, Westfield, Clark, and Cranford. The Winter Bird Identification slideshows presented by Trailside Park Naturalist, Joe Filo, provided many new insights into winter birds in our area. Numerous queries from children & adult participants indicated the high level of interest the slideshow generated.

In the outdoor classroom, many types of homemade bird feeders from recyclables were on display. Instructions on how to make these were distributed as handouts along with other bird related literature, and GBBC 2008 count instructions & data form.

The children enjoyed making a bio-degradable bird feeder with pine cone, peanut butter/ Crisco & bird seed which they took home to hang in their backyards to attract birds. They also each received a participation certificate and a bird patch.

During the guided tour of the Fanwood Nature Center, participants observed many species of birds, including the Red bellied Woodpecker & Downy Woodpecker, Dark-eyed Junco, Tufted Titmouse, Male & Female Cardinal, White-breasted Nuthatch, Blue Jay, White-throated Sparrow and House Sparrow among many others. An avid birder also pointed out an egret flying over the Nature Center. There were many interesting conversations over a cup of coffee or hot chocolate as birders discussed sightings in their neighborhood & other experiences.

We especially wish to thank our sponsors – Wild Birds Unlimited (Rte. 22), Parker Gardens (Terrill Rd), Dunkin’ Donuts (Fanwood), and Double Dipper (Fanwood) for their generous contributions to this event. We also thank Terrill Bible Chapel for allowing us to use their classroom facility for the slideshow presentation.

We invite you back to the Fanwood Nature Center during the President’s Day weekend (Feb 15-18), to explore the Nature Center independently and tally birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count (visit www.birdsource.org/gbbc ). In 2007, GBBC participants made history, breaking records for the number of birds reported and number of checklists submitted. Participants sent in more than 80,000 checklists tallying over 11 million birds of 613 species. Last year, as a result of counts, scientists & birders discovered that many bird species had already started their spring migrations in February—earlier than in decades past. Your counts helps to build a long-term record of where people are finding birds and how many birds there are. Although your bird counts need to take place from February 15-18, you can submit data as late as March 1, 2008. If you have any questions, please contact GBBC at citizenscience@audubon.org or cornellbirds@cornell.edu.

For more information or questions, please contact fanwoodgbbc@gmail.com