The annual Big Backyard Bird Count begins tomorrow and continues thru the weekend until Monday, February 20th. The yearly event occurs for four days in February and is observed globally. It started in 1998 in the United States as a way for the community to engage with wildlife around them.
From the Great Backyard Bird Count website:
Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) was the first online citizen-science project (also referred to as community science) to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real time. Birds Canada joined the project in 2009 to provide an expanded capacity to support participation in Canada. In 2013, we became a global project when we began entering data into eBird, the world’s largest biodiversity-related citizen science (community science) project.
To participate in the Bird Count this weekend, there are several helpful tips.
- Decide where to watch birds. it doesn’t have to be your backyard. You could go birdwatching in your backyard or Lake Mead.
- Watch for at least 15 minutes sometime between February 17-20. You can watch multiple times over the four-day period.
- Count all the birds you see or hear during your birdwatching period.
- Share your bird sightings on the website by CLICKING HERE.
There are also two mobile apps for phones that can help you identify and count the birds you see.
- Merlin BirdID app is free and available for iPhones HERE and Android phones HERE.
- The eBird app is free and available for iPhones HERE and Android phones HERE.
- Both apps come as desktop versions. You can check out how that works HERE.
You can follow the Great Backyard Bird Count on Facebook and Twitter.
