The Great Backyard Bird Count

If you love birds, you're invited to join thousands of other birders in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), held this year from February 18-21. The Great Backyard Bird Count is a joint project of the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology with Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada. This four-day event is open to bird watchers of all ages and provides information about more than 600 bird species. “There’s simply no better way to collect information about all these birds so quickly across such a large range,” said Janis Dickinson, Citizen Science director at the Cornell Lab.From reports of rare species to large-scale tracking of bird movements, the GBBC provides insight into the lives of bird populations.

In 2010, the GBBC had a record-breaking year for participation as more than 97,200 bird checklists were submitted by an estimated 63,000 volunteer bird watchers from across the United States and Canada. To participate, you just have to spend at least 15 minutes counting birds on one day of the count. When you're done counting, you simply enter your data on the GBBC webpage.

For full details, visit http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/howto.html.