Great Backyard Bird Count Set For Next Week

The Great Backyard Bird Count, which will take place nationwide  from February 13th to February 16th this year, is a chance for anyone to participate in the largest bird count on the continent. 

Scientists, birders, and non-birders from all over North America will be observing and uploading tallies of birds to a national database sponsored by the Ornithology Lab at Cornell University.  Data collected from this continent wide survey will be used for tracking bird health, overwintering, resident and migratory patterns, and habitat range.

Parks can participate by encouraging visitors, locals, and local birding chapters to get involved with bird counts within and outside the boundaries of their parks.   This event also provides resource managers an opportunity to determine bird species in their park during the late winter. The benefits of this program can be fostered by park interpretation staff, as this event is an easily accessible program conducted on a national basis.  The Great Backyard Bird Count is an activity that provides focused engagement with visitors for short periods of time while producing useful information citizen scientists can engage in. 

Interested parties can click on the link below to obtain tally sheets, check existing databases, and even submit their photos for competition.  All that is required is that participants watch for birds for at least 15 minutes, then enter their data into the online checklist.   

Please join us in making this year’s count the largest on record.