Great Backyard Bird Count

Find out more about the Great Backyard Bird Count here.

15th annual Great Backyard Bird Count February 17-20 perfect for new birders
Monmouth County Audubon Society counting at Manasquan Reservoir

Great Backyard Bird Count 2011 at Manasquan Reservoir
Above: Crowds come and go at GBBC 2011, Manasquan Reservoir Environmental Center.

During the weekend of February 17-20, people across North America are encouraged to count the birds in their backyards and report them over the Internet as part of the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), one of the world’s largest volunteer efforts of its kind. In addition to its value as a research study, the GBBC allows people of all ages and backgrounds to celebrate birds and provide vital information about North America’s bird populations.

For over a decade, the GBBC has kept tabs on the ever-changing patterns of nearly 600 species of birds in winter.

Anyone can participate in this free event and no registration is needed. Watch and count birds for at least 15 minutes on any day of the count, February 17-20, 2012. Enter your results at www.birdcount.org, where you can watch as the tallies grow across the continent. The four-day count typically records more than 10 million observations.

The event is hosted by the National Audubon Society, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada. “When thousands of people all tell us what they’re seeing, we can detect patterns in how birds are faring from year to year,” said Janis Dickinson, director of Citizen Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is a perfect example of Citizen Science,” says Audubon Chief Scientist, Gary Langham. “Like Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count, volunteers help us with data year after year, providing scientific support that is the envy of many institutions. It’s also a lot of fun.”

“We’re finding that more people are taking part in our bird count programs every year--and the more that take part, the better it is for the birds,” says Richard Cannings, Senior Projects Officer for Bird Studies Canada.

The 2011 GBBC brought in more than 92,000 bird checklists submitted by participants from across the United States and Canada. Altogether, bird watchers identified 596 species with 11.4 million bird observations.

The web site provides helpful hints for identifying birds. Participants can compare results from their town or region with others, as checklists pour in from throughout the U.S. and Canada. They can also view bird photos taken by participants during the count and send in their own digital images for the online photo gallery and contest.

Although it’s called the Great “Backyard” Bird Count, the count extends well beyond backyards. Lots of participants choose to head for national parks, nature centers, urban parks, nature trails, or nearby sanctuaries. For more information, including bird-ID tips, instructions, and past results, visit www.birdcount.org.

The count also includes a photo contest and a prize drawing for participants who enter their bird checklists online.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is made possible in part by sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited.

Volunteers from the Monmouth County Audubon Society (MCAS) will be monitoring bird feeders for much of the GBBC weekend at the Manasquan Reservoir Environmental Center. The public is welcome to come help, ask questions, and learn more about the GBBC and birds in general. MCAS will accept checklists for participants who do not have access to the Internet. Information on membership in the Monmouth County Audubon Society also will be available.