When participants in last year’s Great Backyard Bird Count tallied up the feathered friend sightings in Arlington, it was the Northern Shoveler, American Coot and European Starlings that dominated the branches, bushes and waterways in their backyards and at River Legacy Parks.
But then perhaps the state bird of Texas was smart enough to stay out of sight and out of the cold during this annual winter tally held across the U.S. and Canada.
On Saturday, February 13, the 106 species spotted in 2009 will have another opportunity to be 
counted when naturalists and volunteers from River Legacy Living Science Center lead guided bird walks and host a family-friendly festival as part of the 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, a four-day event led by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
The festival slated from 10 am to 2 pm at the Science Center, 703 NW Green Oaks Blvd., will also include building bird houses and Valentine bird feeders.
Early morning guided bird walks will leave the Center at 7:30 and 8:30 am. Family-friendly bird walks and group counts are scheduled for 10:30 am and 12:30 pm. Participants are encouraged to bring binoculars and cameras.
Guest speakers will discuss topics related to attracting birds to your backyard as well as backyard birding. Steve Woodward of the Wild Bird Center, will present “Attracting Birds to your Own Backyard,” at 10 am; Hester Schwarzer, a Master Naturalist, will present “Plants for Backyard Wildlife,” at 11 am; and Martin Mattingly of the Fort Worth Audubon Society will present “Backyard Birding 101,” at 12 pm.
Other activities throughout the day include story times, van tours of the Village Creek Drying Beds, face painting, and door prizes!
Each checklist submitted by these “citizen scientists” during the Great Backyard Bird Count, helps researchers learn more about how the birds are doing and how to protect them. Last year, participants turned in more than 93,600 checklists online, creating the continent’s largest instantaneous snapshot of bird populations ever recorded.
