Great Backyard Bird Count this week

What mid-winter activity is fun, easy, free, and helps bird conservation? What can parents and teachers do with children that opens their eyes to a whole new world of natural wonders?

February 16-19, the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, will give everyone a chance to discover the birds in their neighborhood and Count for the Record.

People of all ages, and of all levels of experience, are invited to join this event which spans all of the United States and Canada. Participants can take part wherever they are. They simply count the highest number of each species they see during an outing or a sitting, and enter their tally on the Great Backyard Bird Count web site at

www.birdsource.org/gbbc

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the GBBC, and Cornell and Audubon are challenging people everywhere to participate in greater numbers than ever before.

'We are encouraging people who have never done so before to go outside and count birds,' said Paul Green, Audubon's director of Citizen Science. 'By submitting their counts online, bird watchers can quickly see how the dots they put on the map form patterns that tell new stories about the birds that share the world in which we live, including our own backyards and parks.'

'The Great Backyard Bird Count is a community celebration of birds, birding, and nature,' said Janis Dickinson, director of Citizen Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 'We often fail to notice how rich our surroundings are, but counting birds, even for just 15 minutes, is not only educational, it can provide a lasting source of enjoyment, turning a daily walk into a treasure hunt.'

Last year, participants submitted more than 60,000 checklists, and reported 7.5 million birds overall and 623 different species. Together, the counts offer a real-time snapshot of the numbers and kinds of birds that people are finding, from Boreal Chickadees in Alaska to Anhingas in Florida. The information is used to track bird populations and to better inform conservation efforts.

Participants who want to hone their bird watching skills can learn more from the Great Backyard Bird Count web site, which offers identification tips and a multimedia guide to 500 bird species. People can also submit photos to an online gallery showcasing the dazzling array of winter birds found during the GBBC.

Competitions add another element of fun, including a prize drawing for everyone who submits a checklist, a photo contest, and the coveted checklist champ title for towns, states, and provinces with the highest participation.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is sponsored in part by Wild Birds Unlimited.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a non-profit membership institution interpreting and conserving the earth's biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Audubon is dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them.

Our national network of community-based nature centers and chapters, scientific and educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations, engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in conservation.

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