The tenth annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), Feb. 16-19, is a chance to discover the birds in your neighborhood and “Count for the Record.”

"Count Birds for the Record" Feb. 16-1

The tenth annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), Feb. 16-19, is a chance to discover the birds in your neighborhood and “Count for the Record.”

Sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society and Wild Birds Unlimited, the count is conducted by novice and veteran birdwatchers of all ages across the United States and Canada at home, in schoolyards, at local parks or wildlife refuges, or wherever birds are seen that weekend.

Observers simply count the highest number of each species they see during an outing or a sitting, and enter their tally on the Great Backyard Bird Count web site at www.birdsource.org/gbbc.

Visitors to the web site can compare their sightings with results from other participants, as checklists pour in across the continent. Together, these counts offer a real-time snapshot of the numbers and kinds of birds that people are finding, from Boreal Chickadees in Alaska to Anhingas in Florida.

The event combines the fun of bird watching with conservation. The information collected helps scientists better understand bird population trends and can guide efforts to protect habitats.

To mark the tenth anniversary of the GBBC, the sponsors are challenging people everywhere to “Count for the Record” by participating in greater numbers than ever before. Last year, participants submitted more than 60,000 checklists and reported 7.5 million birds overall in 623 different species. The count helped chronicle the early spring migratory routes of sandhill cranes, documented lingering migrants such as orange-crowned warblers and tree swallows, revealed the ongoing range expansion of introduced Eurasian collared-doves, and recorded declining numbers of American crows.

Participants who want to hone their bird watching skills can learn more from the GBBC web site which offers identification tips and access to photos, sounds, maps, and natural history information on more than 500 bird species.