WILDLIFE WATCHING -- The annual Great Backyard Bird Count begins tomorrow across North America  -- and in your own neighborhood, if you choose.

Volunteers do a census on the birds in their yard or neighborhood and record the data online to create a huge database you can see, sort and study online.

The Birds of North America Online is offering free access to comprehensive profiles of nine species, from common to rare. Visit the Birds of North America Online and click on the photo for the species you want to see.

The effort is coordinated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon, with Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada and sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited -- all good sources of birding info. 

FIVE reasons to do the GBBC

1. The birds you see will be recorded for all time. Just count for at least 15 minutes on one or more days and enter your checklist at www.birdcount.org.

2. Your counts ensure that the birds in your town or favorite birding locales will be represented in this continentwide event.

3. Scientists and birders alike can see the tallies as they roll in for more than 600 bird species.

4. In its 14th year, the GBBC provides data to track dynamic bird populations through time, a feat that would be impossible without the participation of tens of thousands of people.

5. Celebrate birds by watching them at your favorite spot. See photos of birds submitted from around the continent or send in your own for a chance to win birdy prizes.

For more news about the count, read this week’s article in The New York Times.