The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

The 20th annual Great Backyard Bird Count will take place February 17 through 20. To participate in this citizen science opportunity, anyone in the world can count birds at any location for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count and enter their sightings at http://www.BirdCount.org. The information gathered by tens of thousands of volunteers helps track changes in bird populations on a massive scale. The GBBC is a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society with partner Bird Studies Canada and is partially sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited.

From Friday, February 17, through Monday, February 20, visitors to Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Fort Clatsop can join in the count by recording bird observations in the park and make plans to count birds in their own backyards. Binoculars will be available for loan within the park.

Along with the actual bird counting activities, the park has planned four days of bird-related opportunities. A “great pink heron scavenger hunt” will be on-going using the Netul Trail along the Lewis and Clark River. A “Birds of Fort Clatsop” display is in the visitor center.

On Saturday, February 18, Mike Patterson will lead a birding walk starting at 9:00 a.m. in the Fort Clatsop Visitor Center lobby. Although leashed dogs are welcome at most of the park’s outdoor programs, dogs are not allowed at this morning walk. Participants are advised to dress for the weather. The walk is wheelchair accessible although non-motorized users might need assistance for about 200 yards.

On Sunday, February 19, Josh Saranpaa, a wildlife rehabilitator and director of the Wildlife Center of the North Coast, will talk about the center’s work at 1:00 p.m. in the Netul River Room of the Fort Clatsop Visitor Center. This In Their Footsteps program will feature live birds from the center such as common murre, rhinoceros auklet, northern fulmar, and American kestral.

Park hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Admission is $5 per adult and free for youth 15 years old and under. In honor of Presidents Day, visits to National Park sites including Lewis and Clark NHP are free on Monday, February 20. Passes to National Park Service sites are accepted. A variety of bird field guides are available for purchase at the Lewis & Clark National Park Association bookstore in the Fort Clatsop Visitor Center.

For more information on the national bird count event or to submit bird counts from your home go to http://www.birdcount.org. The weekend’s birding events at Fort Clatsop are sponsored by the Lewis & Clark National Park Association and the National Park Service.