The Great Backyard Bird Count is back for its 27th year and people are encouraged to participate. It takes place President’s Day weekend, February 16th to the 19th and the guidelines for counting birds is pretty simple:
Step 1: Decide where you will watch birds.
Step 2: Watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days, February 16–19, 2024.
Step 3: Identify all the birds you see or hear within your planned time/location and use the best tool for sharing your bird sightings:
- If you are a beginning bird admirer and new to bird identification, try using the Merlin Bird ID app to tell us what birds you are seeing or hearing.
- If you have participated in the count before and want to record numbers of birds, try the eBird Mobile app or enter your bird list on the eBird website (desktop/laptop).
There is also a free YouTube webinar/livestream for all interested watchers. That event is Tuesday, February 13 at 10:00AM. Register for that event by clicking HERE.
The Great Backyard Bird Count is a fun activity to participate in with children and other families, especially those who live in other locales. You can share sightings, descriptions, and photographs of the birds you see during your watch.
The Great Backyard Bird Count helps scientists monitor and help bird species across the world. More than half a million people participated last year and identified more that 7500 species in over 200 countries!
