Plenty of local residents down for the bird count

BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

EAST BRUNSWICK - Township residents came up big during the recent nationwide Great Backyard Bird Count.

East Brunswick submitted 46 checklists, second only among New Jersey towns to Highland Park, which compiled 48, according to township Environmental Commission member Richard Wolfert. Each checklist was compiled by a different resident, and included the number of bird species they saw during the bird count, and how many of each species.

Information collected in the four-day bird count goes to the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology and the Nation Audubon Society.

Residents were able to take part just by looking into their backyards and jotting down what they saw.

It is possible that residents misidentified species, and Wolfert said some of the species reported are unusual for this area, but the data becomes more accurate and meaningful when compared with other findings. The more sightings listed, the more believable the data becomes.

"Each year the data collected becomes more meaningful," Wolfert said. "They know how many checklists report a certain species. If a few people report it, especially in different towns, then it's probably OK."

"Scientists use this data for real research, and I imagine some trends have developed at this point," he added.

This is the third time East Brunswick has compiled data during the nationwide count. Some interesting things were found this time, too. Even though more checklists were submitted in Highland Park, East Brunswick reported more species, 54-43.

"That has a lot to do with habitat and luck and where you are," Wolfert said.

It also showed that more people than ever are taking part in the East Brunswick count. Last year only 16 submitted checklists.

Some of the more unusual species reported were the winter wren and pine siskin, while some of the more typical were the dark-eyed junco, white throated sparrow, northern cardinal and Carolina chickadee.

Also, more duck species were spotted than in past years, and five species of woodpecker were spotted. The findings also have some considering whether thrushes, birds such as mockingbirds and robins, are wintering in greater numbers in East Brunswick due to global warming.

Wolfert has been collecting bird count data for three years, and the period has provided some interesting results. For example, more sparrows are around this time of year, so noted that the most commonly sighted species is common grackles. Over 3,000 have been sighted.

Data for East Brunswick and results from around the country can be viewed at www.birdsource.org/gbbc/.