Citizen scientists documented sightings of more than 55 bird species between 17-24 February
Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, Ga., has announced the winners of its Birds, Backyards, and Beyond Contest, hosted in support of the Audubon Great Backyard Bird Count.
The Birds, Backyards, and Beyond Contest engaged birders of all experience levels in participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count, the world's largest biodiversity-focused citizen science project. The count helps scientists understand bird populations ahead of migration, explore how birds are affected by changes in the environment, and examine changes in the ranges of individual species.
Winners of the contest were selected in a random drawing. Linda Cheng was drawn as the First Place Grand Prize winner. She was awarded a choice of a Catio outdoor cat environment or a birding experience at Zoo Atlanta with the Zoo’s Curator of Birds. Steven Sklenicka was selected for Second Place and won a bag of certified bird-friendly coffee. In Third Place was Sarah Ballagh, who received a selection of bird-strike window prevention decals.
Contestants submitted eBird checklists to Zoo Atlanta to be entered in the drawing. Over the course of the contest, entries documented more than 55 bird species spotted in Georgia, including the state bird: the brown thrasher.
More than 340 bird species, both native and migratory, travel through Georgia each year. In addition to threats from human-made challenges such as habitat loss, land development, and collisions with windows and other glass surfaces, more than two billion birds are killed in the U.S. each year by free-roaming, outdoor domestic cats.
Photo Credit: © Zoo Atlanta
Edited by Sarag Gilsoul, a writer and Communications Program Assistant at AZA.
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