Many people will be birding under snowy and icy conditions during this weekend’s Great Backyard Bird Count. Although the word Backyard is included in the title, the count is not limited to yards; birders are now welcome to enjoy GBBC activities at home or in the field (Hooded Merganser photo by Paul Konrad). On Presidents’ Day weekend, a Lincoln’s Sparrow will be the most appropriate bird on anyone’s GBBC list (photo by Paul Konrad).

The start of the annual Great Backyard Bird Count begins this Friday, February 12, and continues through Presidents’ Day, Monday February 15. Every birder can take advantage of this opportunity to participate by identifying and counting the birds at a given locale or locations within time periods – at your feeders, in your neighborhood, or in the field – any or all of these options. If you can spend at least 15 minutes at a time, at as many places as you wish, you will quickly realize how easy and fun participating in the GBBC can be – and you will add to the important levels of citizen-science data being contributed for 4 winter days by enthusiastic birders around the world.

This truly global event marks the 24th GBBC, which is co-sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, and Birds Canada. You can get more information about the annual Great Backyard Bird Count and how you can participate this year at https://www.birdcount.org/ and learn how to participate at https://www.birdcount.org/participate/

Last February’s 2020 Great Backyard Bird Count results included such impressive totals as 268,674 birders from 194 countries participated, counting more than 27 million birds including almost 7,000 different species worldwide! Every birder adds to the wealth of information collected each year, so be sure to participate in the GBBC 2021 during the extended Presidents’ Day weekend.