You Can Be Part of The Team – Every Bird Counts
By Darcy Thomas
It’s time once again for the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), an inter-organizational effort between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada who work together to bring the joys of bird watching to the people who love them. Each February, for four days, people from around the world spend time in their favorite places watching and counting as many birds as they can find and reporting them to The Cornell Lab.
This year marks the 26th annual GBBC which will take place February 17-20. The GBBC is a free and fun event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real time snapshot of bird populations. These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations. Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes or as long as you wish on one or more days of the four-day event.
You may report your sightings in one of three ways:
- Identify birds with Merlin Bird ID app and add sightings to your list;
- Use the eBird Mobile app;
- Enter your bird list on eBird.org (on a desktop or laptop)
Anyone can take part in the GBBC from beginning bird watchers to experts and you may participate from your own backyard or anywhere around the world. Use the following link to learn more about this important citizen science project https://www.birdcount.org/participate/.