 William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. Psalm 78:27 He rained down birds as thick as dust, clouds of them like sands along the shore! Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count was the first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time. Now, more than 160,000 people of all ages and walks of life worldwide join the four-day count each February to create an annual snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds. For at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count, February 16-19, 2018, simply tally the numbers and kinds of birds you see. Scientists use information from the Great Backyard Bird Count, along with observations from other citizen-science projects, such as the Christmas Bird Count, Project FeederWatch, and eBird, to get the “big picture” about what is happening to bird populations. http://gbbc.birdcount.org/about/ DAY 1 - Friday, February 16, 2018Patchy morning fog, 30% chance of showers, high 74° This was my first time participating in the GBBC. Wandering the grounds, parking lots and buildings around the animal shelter on breaks throughout the day, I was able to list twenty one species on day 1! https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42837801  "Drink-your-tea!" - - Eastern Towhee songbird singing on brotographed on four days of birding in Clarke and Walton County during the February 2018 Great Backyard Bird Count sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. Species checklists are entered on ebird during the event.  Song Sparrow in budding Bradford Pear Tree - - I was pleasantly surprised by this shot. Especially since I was just birding and not trying for good shots. I just lifted the camera and shot yet another typical Song Sparrow and moved on. But when I got back to edit, this one really stood out. The dark warm browns and the buds on the Bradford Pear really looked great. I even love the sharp detail of the spider webs if you look closely. And the rusty leaf stands out like a red arrow pointing to the subject. Just goes to show: point and shoot. You never know what turns out!  Red male Northern Cardinal songbird in briars. Photographed on four days of birding in Clarke and Walton County during the February 2018 Great Backyard Bird Count sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. Species checklists are entered on ebird during the event.  Eastern Phoebe Flycatcher bird on branch, Georgia, USA  Hybrid mixed mallard drake and hen domestic ducks. Photographed on four days of birding in Clarke and Walton County during the February 2018 Great Backyard Bird Count sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. Species checklists are entered on ebird during the event.  Eastern Towhee songbird singing on branch, Georgia, USA  Northern Mockingbird bird on branch, Georgia, USA  Carolina Wren bird on branch singing, Georgia, USA  Carolina Wren songbird. Photographed on four days of birding in Clarke and Walton County during the February 2018 Great Backyard Bird Count DAY 2 - Saturday, February 17, 2018  Sandhill Crane - quite a thrill (yes, I guess I'm now a bird nerd!) to see 9 cranes flying in V-formation over my house! Overcast, high 65° I spent the entire morning from 8:45 to 11:15 AM on my back patio. Within the first hour or so, I had marked down all the usual birds in my backyard and go up to 19 species. But I like round numbers, so I stayed out just a little longer. I had to be at the church at noon, so at 11:15 I was going to wrap it up when I heard a strange croak overhead. Then a group of giant birds flying in V-formation cruised right over my house heading west north-west. Not geese. Too big to be Cormorants. I suspected Sandhill Cranes although I didn’t know they migrated in a V-formation. I’d seen them in Illinois and I’d seen them in Florida. This was my first experience finding one in Georgia… especially right above my very own backyard! I made a second e-bird list while on outreach with my church in the College Circle subdivision. I also spotted a few other species while on a 10 mile run later in the day. Twenty five species for the day! https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42877982 https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42883285 https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42891476  Red male Northern Cardinal songbird in briars. Photographed on four days of birding in Clarke and Walton County during the February 2018 Great Backyard Bird Count  Female Northern Cardinal  Male Northren Cardinal  Whoops, that's not a bird! -- The eastern chipmunk Tamias striatus is a chipmunk species found in eastern North America. Photographed in Athens, Georgia. DAY 3 - Sunday, February 18, 2018  "Going Dutch" - a White-breasted Nuthatch and a Downy Woodpecker share a suet meal at my backyard feeder. Increasing clouds, high 66° Instead of staying confined to the prayer room before the Sunday morning service, I paced on the sidewalk out front to pray… and to tally another ebird list! Finally spotted a Red-shouldered Hawk mixed in with dozens and dozens of circling vultures. In the afternoon, a long nap interrupted my plan to go birding at Sandy Creek Park. I didn’t expect to see anything different from yesterday sitting on my back porch, but almost immediately found a White-breasted Nuthatch eating suet along with a Downy Woodpecker! I started a new list and took a walk around the block. While on the backside of Hummingbird Trail, I heard the distinct call of a Barred Owl from the woods. https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42920460 https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42923446 https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42943276 DAY 4 – Monday, February 19, 2018  A Red-shouldered Hawk hunts for rodents over the open field of the Walton County Sherrif's Department firing range. No poaching this hawk! Morning drizzle and fog, mostly cloudy, high 71° I wasn’t expecting to get too much birding in today. I planned to go in to work for two hours, mainly to get the payroll done, and then had to leave for errands in Atlanta with my wife. Before leaving work, I took a quick walk around the ponds and grounds. I was able to add two Killdeer to the tally, bringing my total tally to 39 species. Again, I like round numbers, and wanted one more. Where was the Great Blue Heron or the Kingfisher that regularly visit the pond? But on my way home, I got my desire and spotted an American Kestrel on a telephone wire on Barnett Shoals Road in Oconee County. Forty birds in four days! https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42973803 https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42975830  An Eastern Phoebe huddles up on the drizzle and rain.  My four-day species count:
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In December 1993 I came to know the Designer and Creator of this wonderful planet and its creatures: Jesus Christ.
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