Great Backyard Bird Count
Anna's hummingbird ~ Rex Guichard
The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds.
Next Great Backyard Bird Count: Feb. 15-18, 2013
GBBC is a joint project of the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
The following news was received from National Audubon on November 7, 2012:
The GBBC is Going Global!
We're thrilled to announce that in 2013, people from anywhere in the world will be able to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count! Save the dates so you can participate in the first worldwide Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), Friday, February 15 through Monday, February 18, 2013.
To make it possible for people everywhere to participate, the GBBC will be integrated with eBird, a citizen-science project created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society in 2002 that went global in 2010. Our partner, Bird Studies Canada, administers the eBird Canada portal.
- Global access: participants will be able to submit checklists from any location in the world, and in four languages!
- Precise locations: More accurate GBBC location data will make your observations more useful and easier for you to track over time.
- Year-round access: Although the GBBC is a four-day project, you will be able to use your account to track your bird sightings year round in eBird.
- Better visualization: Interactive maps will allow you to explore bird observations in much greater detail than ever before.
- Corrections: If you realize you've entered erroneous information, you can go back into your reports anytime to make corrections or changes.
- No dual-entry: eBird users will no longer have to enter their information twice and can simply enter their GBBC counts via eBird.
We will keep you updated on changes to the program as well as opportunities to get involved as February approaches. Meanwhile, you can submit your bird checklists any day of the year at www.ebird.org. If you have never submitted a checklist to eBird before, you'll create a user name and password. You'll be able to use the same user name and password for the Great Backyard Bird Count in February!