Join me and thousands of other folks who enjoy birdwatching this weekend for the 26th annual Great Backyard Bird Count.
Every February people around the world join together to share their love of birds by watching and counting as many birds as they can and reporting them online.
Sightings from the Great Backyard Bird Count help researchers track, monitor, and better understand global bird populations.
I’ve been participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) for many years.
It’s a fun activity to enjoy from the comfort or your own home on your own or with your family and friends!
And for folks in the northern hemisphere, it’s something to do in the dead of winter when there’s a blanket of snow on the ground.
Or we’re in the middle of one of our winter warmups.
What to Know About the Great Backyard Bird Count
Organized by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada, this year’s GBBC is a four-day event on February 17 to 20, 2023.
Whether it’s your backyard, neighborhood, local park, or somewhere else, spend at least 15 minutes to watch, count, and submit the birds you see or hear.
How to Participate
- Decide where you want to watch birds
- Watch birds you see or hear for at least 15 minutes on one of the four days
- Identify the birds and submit your bird sightings
Wondering what to use to help you identify birds?
If you have them, use your bird guide books. Or borrow them from a local library.
Or, you’ll find a slew of bird identification resources online; one of my favorites is the All About Birds website from Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Another one of my favorite resources for people with a smartphone or table: the free Merlin Bird ID app. (I was glad to learn the app is now available in 18 languages)
I use it daily to confirm what birds I’ve seen and heard.
The Sound ID feature on Merlin Bird ID is incredible! Recording a bird call or song, the app will do its best to identify what bird it is.
Note: sometimes, and it’s not very often, Merlin identifies the bird incorrectly. I get about 2-3 incorrect sound identification recordings each week.
But I also record about 1/2 dozen times a day.
To submit the birds you’ve seen, use the eBird website or free eBird mobile app.
And if you want to learn more about the event, register and watch the free Get Ready for the Great Backyard Bird Count: Q&A Webinar today, Wednesday, February 15, 2023.
The webinar is:
- One hour long
- Starts at 1pm Eastern Time
- Experts will share tips for making birdwatching easier
- You can ask questions about bird identification, counting birds, and more
Can’t make the webinar?
It will be recorded and archived for everyone who registers, even if you can’t attend.
Summary
Celebrate and support birdwatching with me this weekend at the Great Backyard Bird Count. It’s a fun activity that everyone can enjoy and participate in.
If you do participate, I’d love to know what birds you see! Share some of your bird finds in the comments.
