Count Your Backyard Birds this Weekend for the Great Backyard Bird Count

Each checklist submitted during the GBBC helps researchers at the  National Audubon Society, Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada learn more about how birds are doing, and how to protect them and the environment we share. Recently, more than 160,000 participants submitted their bird observations online, creating the largest instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations ever recorded.

The 24th annual GBBC will be held Friday, February 12, through Monday, February 15, 2021. Please visit the official website at birdcount.org for more information and be sure to check out the latest educational and promotional resources.

Participating is easy, fun to do alone, or with others, and can be done anywhere you find birds. Simply watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days, February 12-15, 2021, and tell us what you see!

Pick the best tool to use for sharing your birds sightings:

• If you are new to the count, try using the Merlin Bird ID app. This app is great for identifying your local birds. It easily walks you through the steps of identifying your bird.
• If you have participated in the count before, try eBird Mobile app or enter your bird list on the eBird website (desktop/laptop).
• If you are participating as a group, see instructions for Group Counting.

Fast Company has a fascinating article about the impact cities have on birds and why we should care.

Full article here.

Abundant bird life is the secret sauce for soul-nourishing cities. Birds matter tremendously, and their presence near to us in cities delivers delight and awe. It is hard to be lonely when birds are nearby. Our lives are richer, our days fuller, when we hear their magical voices of the fluttering energy and blur of color that birds provide.