Great American Bird Count this weekend in a yard near yours

BIRDING — It’s not too late to get your feeders cleaned and filled and gear up with binoculars and field guides so you can participate in the 15th annual Great Backyard Bird Count Friday-Monday (Feb. 17-20).

The annual four-day event engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where birds are across the U.S. and Canada.

Each checklist submitted by you citizen scientists helps researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society learn more about how birds are doing – and how to protect them and the environment we share.

Last year, participants turned in more than 92,000 checklists online, creating the continent’s largest instantaneous snapshot of bird populations ever recorded.

“This count is so fun because anyone can take part — we all learn and watch birds together — whether you are an expert, novice, or feeder watcher.  I like to invite new birders to join me and share the experience. Get involved, invite your friends, and see how your favorite spot stacks up.”

-Gary Langham, Audubon chief scientist

Click here to see my guide to choosing a field guidebook to birds .