Great Backyard Bird Count

Wandering Tattler at Seaside Cove.\Photo by Molly Sultany.

The annual Great Backyard Bird Count is held each February, with the goal of creating a real-time snapshot of where birds are located, all around the world.  This year’s count takes place Feb. 18-21, inclusive.  To participate, identify and count birds for as little as 15 minutes or for as many hours as you wish, literally in your backyard or anywhere birds can be found.  Then add up the number of birds of each species you see ad report your count by filling in an online checklist.

As the count progresses, you can log-in to discover which birds are being reported where.  Last year, some 300,000 birdwatchers from 190 countries participated, with more than 5,900 Oregonians submitting checklists.

This global citizen science projects provides researchers with information abut birds’ habits and habitats, and identifies trends that may call for greater conservation attention and study.  This may also help to trace the effects of climate change.

If you are new to the Great Backyard Bird Count, you will need to create an online account with The Cornell Lab.  This is the same system that is used for eBird, a birding app, so participating the bird count is also a way to become familiar with eBird.

Go to https://www.birdcount.org/ to learn more, register to participate, and connect with a webinar at 2 p.m. on Feb. 16.