Bird lovers across the globe will once again turn their attention to backyards, parks and nature trails this February as the Great Backyard Bird Count returns for four days of community-powered wildlife observation.
Held annually each February, the Great Backyard Bird Count encourages people of all ages to spend time in their favorite outdoor places watching and counting as many birds as they can find. Participants then report their sightings, providing valuable data that helps scientists better understand bird populations worldwide before one of their major annual migration periods.
The event has grown into one of the largest and most accessible participatory science projects in the world. Organizers emphasize that anyone can take part, whether spotting a single bird at a feeder or documenting hundreds in a local refuge.
Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count was the first online citizen science project designed to collect bird data and display results in near real time. The effort expanded in 2009 when Birds Canada joined to support broader participation across Canada.
In 2013, the count became a fully global project when observations began being entered into eBird, the world’s largest biodiversity-related community science database. That shift helped connect birdwatchers worldwide and strengthened the project’s ability to track trends in bird distribution and abundance.
Each year, participation continues to grow as more people across continents dedicate a winter weekend to counting, learning about and celebrating birds. Photos from past counts have captured birdwatchers in locations ranging from Canada and India to Mexico and Nicaragua, highlighting the international reach of the event.
The Great Backyard Bird Count is now a joint partnership among the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society and Birds Canada. Together, the organizations aim to bring the joys of birdwatching to a wide audience while supporting research and conservation efforts.
Organizers say the count is designed to be simple and inclusive. Participants can watch birds anywhere they choose — from urban balconies to rural fields — and contribute observations that add to a growing body of scientific knowledge.
The project’s goal remains the same: to unite people through a shared love of birds while creating a snapshot of global birdlife that researchers can use to better understand environmental change and migration patterns.
For more information and to find out how to participate, visit https://www.birdcount.org/about/
Source: birdcount.org