Pretty cool ... hehehe ... I have more sparrows that I can count too on some days ... taking over the feeders! 
I didn't make a specific 15-min. count because I live in southern Alberta, but we normally have more sparrows than I can begin to count, lots of house finches, a nuthatch or two, a flicker, and occasionally a couple of red-winged blackbirds, and a ring-necked pheasant at our bird feeder, the latter on the ground picking up the good seeds thrown out by the other birds. On very rare occasions, a sparrow hawk shows up just to keep the little birds alert.
The Great Backyard Bird Count is about to kick off over in the US. This year, it's going for the 10 million mark
Article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2009/feb/13/great-backyard-bird-count-us-birdwatch
From:
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/global-warming-birds-47021101
Feb. 13-16, 2009
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/
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, February 13–16, 2009. You can count for longer than that if you wish! Count birds in as many places and on as many days as you like—one day, two days, or all four days. Submit a separate checklist for each new day. You can also submit more than one checklist per day if you count in other locations on that day.
2. Count the greatest number of individuals of each species that you see together at any one time. You may find it helpful to print out your regional bird checklist to get an idea of the kinds of birds you're likely to see in your area in February. You could take note of the highest number or each species you see on this checklist.
3. When you're finished, enter your results through our web page. You'll see a button marked "Enter Your Checklists!" on the website home page beginning on the first day of the count (February 13, 2009). It will remain active until the deadline for data submission on March 1, 2009.
I counted yesterday, but it was an awful day - rain all day, gloomy, cold ... but we had fun!
We saw:
12 black-caped chickadees
1 red-brested nuthatch
1 downy
1 hairy
5 blue-jays
1 brown creeper
4 crows
We heard, but not seen, a cardinal and juncoes. We did however saw a racoon foraging for food - in the middle of the day - must have been hungry!
Reminder received in e-mail:
11th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count coming up this weekend
from Friday, February 15 - Monday, February 18
Dear Great Backyard Bird Count Participant,
Only three days remain until the 11th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). As you wait for the count to begin, test your “Eagle Eyes” through our new, interactive game! Click here to play. When you’ve finished, be sure to send it on to a friend, especially if they have young people at home.
Here are just a few quick reminders and updates:
Ø To enter your bird count checklists, go to http://www.birdcount.org and click on the big “Enter your Checklists” button at the top of the page.
Ø Don’t forget to send in your photos through the GBBC website! You can submit photos from February 15 through March 1, 2008. A select number of photos will be posted during GBBC weekend.
Ø Check out the GBBC blog at http://www.birdcount.org/blog, run by Audubon’s Senior Scientist, Rob Fergus, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Science Editor, Laura Erickson.
Each year, your discoveries enlighten and inspire us. And last year, you sent in more than 80,000 checklists, a record-breaking number. Together we can set a new record in 2008! We hope you’ll reach out to your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers by forwarding this email to them or personally inviting them to “Count for Fun, Count for the Future!”
Sincerely,
Janis Dickinson, Director of Citizen Science, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Rob Fergus, Senior Scientist, National Audubon Society
Melissa Hopkins, Project Manager, National Audubon Society
Barred Owl. Photo by Kenneth Cantley,
MN, 2007 GBBC participant
The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds.
2008 GBBC poster now available!
Listen to a narrated overview of the GBBC and how to participate.
See and use the updated 2008 GBBC PowerPoint presentation.
Eileen W.
Coming up soon Feb 15-18 is the Great Backyard Bird Count. It is a fun project to participate in.
Here is a link with more information.
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/howto.html
