For four days, February 12th to 15th, all bird lovers are encouraged to do what they do best…watch birds and count every bird they see! It’s all part of the 24th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count, a citizen-scientist event conducted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society and Birds Canada. The event is co-sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited.
Everyone, from beginning bird watchers to experts are encouraged to count birds for as little as 15 minutes or as long as you wish on one or more of the four days during the event. Afterward, submit your count online at https://www.birdcount.org/ebird-on-computer/ or on your smartphone at https://www.birdcount.org/ebird-mobile-app/ .
Count birds at your feeders, in a neighborhood park or anywhere you see birds. Every count submitted helps researchers learn more about bird populations, such as where some species are thriving and where others may be on the decline. The counts give scientists up to the minute data on how birds nationwide and worldwide are adapting to suburban sprawl, climate change and other environment factors.
According to Cornell Lab of Ornithology, in the 2020 count bird watchers from 193 countries submitted 268,674 checklists and reported a record 6,942 species, which is more than half the known bird species in the world! Visit the count website at https://www.birdcount.org/.
