Be a citizen scientist for the weekend and make a valuable contribution to bird conservation! Bird watchers of all ages are invited to count birds to create a real-time snapshot of where birds are. Your count will become part of the largest bird population database in the world. In 2015, participants from more than 100 countries around the globe submitted a record 147,265 bird checklists that included 5,090 species, with over 18 million individual birds counted. Since the program was launched in 1998 it has helped to track the distribution and movement of birds over the years.

Check out the website at gbbc.BirdCount.org. The process is user-friendly and is meant to be used by regular folks. Here’s all you have to do.

1. Count birds at a particular site for at least 15 minutes on one of any number of the four GBBC days.
2. Keep track of the largest number of each species you see at any given time, and how long you watched. You can do this at home, at a park, or even watch your feeders from your window. Count even the most common birds and simply estimate the numbers in large flocks, like geese flying overhead. Important: Don’t add together the numbers you see each time, just report the largest number seen at one time.
3. Enter your list and counts online at gbbc.BirdCount.org. If you are not already registered, you must register online by entering a user name and password to enter your data at the gbbc.birdcount.org web site. You will need a new checklist for each day and each location if you move around.

Explore the whole website, where you will find a wealth of information. Click on “Get Started” for detailed downloadable instructions and access to a printable tally sheet for your area.

Great Backyard Bird Count is a project of National Audubon Society, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada.

Great Backyard Bird Count is a project of National Audubon Society, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada. And, if you would like to share your experience or a special sighting with us, please contact us by clicking on “Contact WCAS” below.