Great Backyard Bird Count Event at Cattus

Ocean County Parks and Recreation and the Barnegat Bay Partnership are hosting a naturalist-led bird walk and count at Cattus Island County Park on Saturday, February 16th.  This free event is part of a global effort called the Great Backyard Bird Count.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event sponsored by Cornell University and Aubudon. The event engages people of all ages in counting birds in local communities around the world. Scientists use the data from the count to get the “big picture” about what is happening to bird populations on a global scale. In 2018, Great Backyard Bird Count participants in more than 100 countries counted more than 6,300 species of birds!

At the Cattus Island Park event, learn how to spot and identify bird species that spend the winter here and how they survive the colder months of the year. As “citizen scientists,” participants will help with the count, and the data will be submitted to Cornell University and Audubon.

Everyone is welcome – from beginning birders to experts. Bring binoculars if you have them – there will also be a few pairs available for sharing. Please RSVP for the event by emailing Ray LeChien, the Barnegat Bay Watershed Ambassador, at ambassadorwma13@gmail.com.