Great Backyard Bird Count Feb. 17 In South Brunswick

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — The Rutgers Master Gardeners of Middlesex County invite you to take part in the “Great Backyard Bird Count.”

This free event will take place on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Davidson’s Mill Pond Park, located at 42 Riva Avenue in South Brunswick. The event will take place rain or shine. Beginning birders and experts are encouraged to attend.

Between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., Master Gardeners will offer guided tours led by advanced birders with “count sheets.” These sheets will be filled in during the tour, and then collected and entered into the Cornell University database.

Please bring your own binoculars and field guides and dress appropriately for outdoor hiking. Tour guides will be available to assist your party, or you can explore the park on your own.

The event will be held simultaneously with the Audubon Society and Cornell University Lab’s “Great Backyard Bird Count.”

“I encourage residents to attend this wonderful and informative event,” said Freeholder Director Ronald G. Rios. “About 100 bird species have been recorded to date at Davidson Mill Pond Park, and we’d like to add even more to that list. Please come out and help us make this the best Bird Count ever.”

“The bird count is not only a fun and free outdoor event, but a chance to help keep our local wildlife safe,” said Freeholder Kenneth Armwood, Chair of the County’s Business Development and Education Committee. “The more people who participate, the more scientists will know about bird populations’ growth or decline over time due to habitat loss, disease or other factors.”

The Master Gardeners will offer hot coffee for participants from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. within the park at the EARTH Center, home of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County.

For more information visit: http://birds.audubon.org/great-backyard-bird-count.

The Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County is part of a nationwide network that helps bring the research of the state land-grant universities to local people. Rutgers Cooperative Extension offices throughout New Jersey are cooperatively funded by: the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Rutgers University - New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County’s educational programs are offered to all without regard to race, religion, color, age, national origin, gender, sexual orientation or disability.

For more information on other Extension programs, call 732-398-5260. Pictured above is a wren, provided by Middlesex County.