Join the Great Backyard Bird Count

February 18-21, 2011

The 14th annual Great Back Yard Birdcount (GBBC) is coming up February 18-21, 2011. The four-day event is free and is open to bird watchers of all ages and skill levels. Participants watch birds for any length of time on one or more days of the count and enter their tallies at http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/canada . The results provide a snapshot of the whereabouts of more than 600 bird species. The GBBC is a joint project of the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology with Canadian partner, Bird Studies Canada

The 2010 GBBC was another record-breaker with more than 97,300 bird checklists submitted by an estimated 63,000 volunteers from across Canada and the United States. These volunteers found connecting with nature to be great fun.

"I enjoy being outdoors and birding is a source of relaxation and stress relief!? wrote one participant. "Looking and listening for birds forces me to focus on the environment around me at a higher level of intensity, and notice things I might otherwise miss.?

From reports of rare species to large-scale tracking of bird movements, the GBBC provides insight into the lives of bird populations.