Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb. 12-15

Show your love for birds during Valentine's Day weekend by participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count! The citizen-science project involves as little as 15 minutes on one day or as many minutes as you like on Feb. 12th through 15th.


Organized by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society and Bird Studies Canada, the 13th annual free event entails counting birds in your back yard or at local parks or refuges. Then you just fill in an online checklist of observed species and their numbers.

Why would you do this?

Scientists and bird enthusiasts can learn a lot by knowing where the birds are. Bird populations are dynamic; they are constantly in flux. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to document the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time.

We need your help. Make sure the birds from your community are well represented in the count. It doesn't matter whether you report the 5 species coming to your backyard feeder or the 75 species you see during a day's outing to a wildlife refuge.

If you take pictures of the birds during the Great Backyard Bird Count, consider entering them in the photo contest. You might win one of many prizes!

Eastern Bluebird courtesy of Katya Porter in North Carolina, a winner in the 2009 photo contest