Great Backyard Bird Count

One of the world’s most popular citizen science projects—the Great Backyard Bird Count—starts this Friday, February 12, and runs through Monday, February 15, 2016. During the count, people head outdoors to count birds, and the valuable data they collect are used by scientists to track the health of bird populations. Tens of thousands of people participated in last year’s count, and organizers are hoping for another big turnout this year. Count data could be especially interesting this year because of the strong El Nino, which has impacted weather patterns across the globe. The bird count is designed for people of all skill levels, so why not give it a try?

Participating in the bird count is super easy. First, visit the project’s website at the link here to register—it’s free—and be sure to read over the instructions on the “Get Started” page. Then, simply go outside during any day of the event from any location in the world and count the types and numbers of birds that you see for at least 15 minutes. You can do counts for longer periods of time and from multiple locations if you wish. Finally, submit your checklist on the project’s website. If you live in the U.S. or Canada, you may want to check out this bird listing tool herebefore heading out—the website lets you enter a zip code or the name of a town or city and will provide you with a list of all birds seen at that location during the bird counts in previous years. Click on the name of any bird on the list and you will get to see photos of that species along with some short text on how to identify it.

If you snap any good bird photographs, be sure to submit them to the Great Backyard Bird Count photo contest. We would love to see your photos submitted to EarthSky too!