By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
This weekend’s forecast looks like it is going to be unseasonably warm with temperatures in the 60s. Iowa DNR Interpretive Naturalist/Educator Anne Riordan says that is likely going to bring out some of nature’s “nappers” like raccoons and squirrels that will be enjoying the warm weather along with the rest of us.
“It will be a great time to get outside and do a little birding, too,” she says.
This weekend brings the Great Backyard Bird Count, a community science project sponsored by the National Audubon Society, Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada. Anybody can participate, in any place they would like to, for as little as 15 minutes. All you need to do is identify, count and report your data. Here is a link for more information: https://www.birdcount.org/participate/
If you would like an in-person introduction to the Great Backyard Count, join Riordan at Springbrook State Park this Saturday, Feb. 14 at 10 a.m.
“We will also be making pinecone bird feeders for participants to take home to hang in their yards,” Riordan says. “Meet at the Beach Shelter at Springbrook State Park. Follow the park road up to the intersection at the top of the hill, follow the sign that directs you toward the beach, and park in the lot above the lake.”