by Becky Herman

The 23rd annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) will be held Friday, February 14, through Monday, February 17, 2020. It’s free, it’s fun, and it helps scientific research. Here’s how to participate in this annual February tradition that spans the globe. We can thank the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for sponsoring this fun span of four days. It’s a refreshing change from the winter snows and cold weather while we wait for spring to make an appearance.

You can make up your own rules for this birdcount. You can be outdoors wherever you choose, or you can sit inside looking out the windows. All you really must do is make some simple plans. Decide when and where you want to count, take note of observations on your smart phone, or, a paper list works too. Next, make sure you have a way to submit your data after the count is over. If you already have an ebird account or have registered for another Cornell Lab project such as FeederWatch, or NestWatch, you can use that information to report your sightings. You can create a new account at http://birds.cornell.edu Note that you can count for as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count every day for hours. Your own feeders are fine, or you can go as far as a wildlife refuge and stay all day-up to you. Feel free to visit several different places. Just be sure to keep careful notes about where and when you count.

Go alone or with friends. National Audubon encourages experienced birders to take someone along who is learning to identify birds-that sharing of experience and information is called “Pledge to Fledge”.

If you want to study our local winter birds before the Count, see the All About Birds website for online guides and ID tips.

This Count is especially important because it is becoming increasingly apparent that climate change is affecting the number of species and the number of birds within each species, the times of migration and nesting, and changes in species behavior. Remember that it’s important to report your sightings promptly and accurately so that the scientists who study this data can come to correct conclusions.