Season 3 of the Warblers Podcast launches today with an episode about the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). Andrea connects with experts from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon Society, and our own Kerrie Wilcox, who all work together to organize the GBBC in Canada and the US. They talk program history, the evolution of birding and technology, and the importance of having engaging entry-level bird monitoring opportunities for people.
Spoilers...you don't need a backyard to get involved. Join the Great Backyard Bird Count.
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Kerrie Wilcox manages the Great Backyard Bird Count in Canada and Project FeederWatch, a program that turns people’s bird feeding hobby into research for conservation. She loves feeling the enthusiasm and commitment of the volunteers and seeing how much we've learned from their contributions.
Becca Rodomsky-Bish is the project leader for the Great Backyard Bird Count with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Becca also works as the project leader for Nest Quest Go!, a crowd-sourced project where citizen scientists help transcribe historic nest records.
Kathy Dale is the Director of Science Technology and Community Science Team Lead at the National Audubon Society. She leads the delivery of programs such as the Great Backyard Bird Count and the Christmas Bird Count.
Andrea Gress studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Conservation Program for Birds Canada. Follow her work at @ontarioplovers