Shared by Monica Hoel, as Guest Blogger.

We invite you to move your nose.

I spend a lot of time with my nose glued to my phone because part of my job is keeping social media busy with pictures and news about what we’ve been doing. I often joke, “If it’s not on Facebook, it never happened.” So I’m grateful to have social media as a tool for my work. 

But sometimes it’s nice to be involved in something that is far removed from tiny screens and typing and devising ways to intrigue, attract, and impress the public.

Birding is a great way to spend time outdoors. 

On Feb. 15, 2020, Hungry Mother State Park (HMSP) is offering a chance for you to move your nose away from your phone...and put it under a pair of binoculars; a fun and fascinating training event to prepare you to participate in The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). This worldwide event is slated for Feb. 14-17, 2020, and is supported by Cornell University and the National Audubon Society. It is more than just a way to get you to focus on nature for a while: it’s also one of the most accessible citizen science events of the year. 

“Citizen science” means exactly what it sounds like: it’s a chance for those of us who aren’t scientists or researchers by trade to be involved in the collection of vital data that is later used to teach, understand, and advocate. The information gathered and shared by citizens can be pivotal in developing plans for conservation and preservation. Nature is fragile, and she needs many advocates. Citizen science projects give all of us a chance to make a meaningful difference.

Birding can be a family activity too.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is something you can participate in at your own home, in your own yard -- you don’t really have to even leave your breakfast nook! People around the world will make notes about the number and types of birds they see in their backyards. The data is submitted to eBird and is then compiled to provide a look at how our birds are doing.  It gives more data to real scientists who then study trends in population and migration. 

On Feb. 15, HMSP will partner with the Holston Rivers Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalist (VMN) to hold a morning-long event that includes a bird walk with experienced birders, a primer on how to identify birds, a fun introduction to bird song, and instructions on how to record your observations and bird counts for the GBBC. There will even be VMN volunteers on hand cooking a free breakfast for you.

Local master naturalists can help you learn more.

Birds are a fascinating part of nature. And they’re an important part of the ecosystem: they spread seeds, they help with pest control, and they even serve as a road clean-up crew (sometimes a vulture or crow gets to that dead squirrel before VDOT). Birds are also in a fight for survival as humans cut down their habitat and pave over their breeding grounds. This is a chance for us, as humans, to do something to support a colorful, fascinating, vital section of our natural world.

If you’re worried about being too far away from your phone….don’t worry. Birds will Tweet. We will Post observations. And from tree to shrub to windowsill, we will Follow our bird friends in order to make important observations. So please...bring your nose to this great event, and then brag about it on social media.

For more information, call the Hungry Mother State Park Discovery Center at 276-781-7400. And, look for details on (where else?) Facebook. Look for it on the Virginia Master Naturalist Spring Training Class, Great Backyard Bird Count Hungry Mother State Park.