Great Ceasar's ghost, is it time again for the Great Backyard Bird Count? Indeed it is. This exercise in citizen science begins today and runs through Sunday. You can get full details here, but basically you stake out your own backyard for a minimum of 15 minutes on one or more of the days in question and record the birds that come your way. You then submit your findings to the GBBC people at the Cornell Lab of Orniuthology and they'll use them to track trends in the bird population. A good activity to do with the kids.

Again, go here for details.

Carrboro Police Officer J. Walker responded Monday morning to the parking lot of Carolina Fitness on West Main Street, where a baby bird was unattended. "I made a nest in a nearby tree and placed the bird in it," Walker wrote in his report. "No further assistance was needed."