NPR

Talkin' Birds: The Great Backyard Bird Count

Bird lovers around the world are counting birds this weekend for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count, which provides valuable data for avian research.
An American coot flies over Brooklyn's Prospect Park Lake on Feb. 5.

As birds flitted on and off of colorful feeders in a flicker of flapping feathers, and chattered in chirps — punctuated by the occasional trill — a band of birdwatchers offered a cacophony of their own.

"I heard a red-winged blackbird!"

"There's a blue jay!"

"Is that a downy woodpecker?"

With every sighting, Tina Alleva, a Brooklyn resident and volunteer for the , added to the count. She was counting birds, along.

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