---

Counting birds in your backyard is as easy as 1, 2, 3

GREAT BLUE HERON—Marcin Kojtka of Texas took this photo of a Great Blue Heron during the Great Backyard Bird Count in 2010. (Photo courtesy of Great Backyard Bird Count.) PELICAN—Bob Howdeshell of Tennessee took this photo of a Brown Pelican during the Great Backyard Bird Count in 2010. (Photo courtesy of Great Backyard Bird Count.)

The Great Backyard Bird Count (or GBBC) takes place over four days in February each year. The 2012 annual count will take place Feb. 17 to 20. Anyone can participate in this free event and no registration is needed.

It's very easy!

Watch and count birds in your yard, a nearby park, or maybe at your school. Report what you saw by entering your bird list online at www.birdcount.org. (Ask for your parents' permission first.)

By doing this, we learn what kind of birds are being seen in the winter and whether there are more or fewer of them than before.

You'll have more fun if you learn more about birds. Try some of the games and activities at www.birdsource.org/gbbc/kids.

"When thousands of people all tell us what they're seeing, we can detect patterns in how birds are faring from year to year," said Janis Dickinson, director of Citizen Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "

"We're finding that more people are taking part in our bird count programs every year--and the more that take part, the better it is for the birds," says Richard Cannings, senior projects officer for Bird Studies Canada.

How to do the Great Backyard Bird Count

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3!

1. Plan to count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count. You can count each day or just some of the days and you can count in different places. Just be sure to keep a separate list of birds for each day and each location.

2. For each type of bird you see, count the most you see at any one time. For example, maybe you see two chickadees when you start watching, then five chickadees a few minutes later. The number you put on your list for chickadees is five. Do not add two plus five. (This way way you don't accidentally count the same bird twice.)

3. Enter your results on the Great Backyard Bird Count website. Then watch the maps as more and more people enter their reports.

That's it. Now get ready to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count because when it comes to watching birds, kids count!

For more information about how to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count with your family, go to www.birdsource.org/gbbc/howto.html.

When bugs go out to eat

How would you like to have a job where you attach wires to insects and watch them eat? Some scientists do just that, and an Agricultural Research Service scientist in California has come up with a better way to do it.

Aphids, leafhoppers, and some other insects feed by sticking pointed mouth parts called stylets into plants to reach fluids they need to survive. When the plant is punctured, it releases proteins and other chemicals to prevent those fluids from being pulled out.

Plants and insects are constantly at war with each other, but a lot of times the plant loses these battles and dies. That costs farmers billions of dollars each year in lost flowers, vegetables, fruits, and other crops.

Scientists like ARS entomologist Elaine Backus at the San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center in Parlier, California, want to learn more about insect feeding. If they understand it better, they should be able to find better ways to prevent insects from destroying a farmer's crops.

Much of the action takes place inside the plant, so it's hard to see. To help them, scientists use a device that reads tiny electrical charges produced by the insect as it feeds.

It's called an Electrical Penetration Graph, or EPG. To use one, a researcher glues a wire to the insect's back and inserts another wire into the soil near the root of the plant.

The wires establish an electrical circuit. Fluids in the insect and the plant carry electrical charges, and when the insect feeds, the movement of the fluids causes the levels of those charges to fluctuate. Those fluctuations give scientists a picture of what's going on.

Until now, EPG monitors have been able to study either large insects or small insects, but not both. But Backus and her University of Missouri colleague William Bennett developed a monitor with settings that can be adjusted to the sizes of different insects.

Scientists can use the EPG monitor to study not just aphids and leafhoppers, but ticks, mites, mosquitoes, stink bugs, bed bugs, deer flies, or any biting or chewing insect that pierces the surface of a plant or animal.

That's important because there's a whole world of insects out there, and they're all just waiting to eat and be studied.

Healthy food can be fun!

Vegetables and fruits are healthy and they can also be fun! Ask your parents if you they will make some of these tasty foods with you.

Smoothie creations

Blend fat-free or low-fat yogurt or milk with fruit pieces and crushed ice. Use fresh, frozen, canned, and even overripe fruits. Try bananas, berries, peaches, and/or pineapple. If you freeze the fruit first, you can even skip the ice!

Delicious dippers

Whip up a quick dip for veggies with yogurt and seasonings such as herbs or garlic. Serve with raw vegetables like broccoli, carrots, or cauliflower. Fruit chunks go great with a yogurt and cinnamon or vanilla dip. caterpillar kabobs Assemble chunks of melon, apple, orange, and pear on skewers for a fruity kabob. For a raw veggie version, use vegetables like zucchini, cucumber, squash, sweet peppers, or tomatoes.

Personalized pizzas

Set up a pizza-making station in the kitchen. Use whole-wheat English muffins, bagels, or pita bread as the crust. Have tomato sauce, low-fat cheese, and cut-up vegetables or fruits for toppings. Choose your favorites for your own pizza. Then pop the pizzas into the oven to warm.

Fruity peanut butterfly

Start with carrot sticks or celery for the body. Attach wings made of thinly sliced apples with peanut butter and decorate with halved grapes or dried fruit.

Frosty fruits

Frozen treats are popular in the warm months, but you might want to try them in the winter too. Just put fresh fruits such as melon chunks in the freezer (rinse first). Make "popsicles" by inserting sticks into peeled bananas and freezing.

Bugs on a log

Use celery, cucumber, or carrot sticks as the log and add peanut butter. Top with dried fruit such as raisins, cranberries, or cherries, depending on what bugs you want!

Homemade trail mix

Skip the pre-made trail mix and make your own. Use your favorite nuts and dried fruits, such as unsalted peanuts, cashews, walnuts, or sunflower seeds mixed with dried apples, pineapple, cherries, apricots, or raisins. Add whole-grain cereals to the mix, too.

Potato person

Decorate half a baked potato. Use sliced cherry tomatoes, peas, and low-fat cheese on the potato to make a funny face.

Food artist

Arrange raw veggies or fruits into a fun shape or design. Give your tasty creation a name.

---