Founded in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, the event takes place internationally Feb. 16 to 19, and Marshall will host two events as part of the project. Kim Dingess, a birder and director of Danta, Conservation of the Tropics, will give an informal lecture from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16, in room 376 of the Science Building. She will discuss the Great Backyard Bird Count and offer tips on how to identify local birds. At 8 a.m. Saturday, Feb 17, members of the Marshall and greater Huntington community are invited to meet by the fountain in Ritter Park to identify the birds in the park.
People of all ages and levels of bird expertise are invited to participate and are encouraged to bring binoculars if they have them.
Last year, the participants of the Great Backyard Bird Count represented over 100 countries and counted over 6,200 species of birds. Learn more about the international event at http://gbbc.birdcount.org.
The local event is sponsored by West Virginia Science Adventures and the Marshall University College of Science. For more information, contact Dr. Suzanne Strait at WVScienceAdventures@gmail.com.