The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages birdwatchers to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are.
The 19th annual GBBC will be held from Friday to Monday.
“This free, family-friendly event is fun, provides great opportunities to learn more about birds, connect with nature and support bird conservation,” said Claude Rioux, a director with the North Okanagan Naturalists Club.
“Each checklist submitted during the GBBC helps researchers to learn more about how birds are doing, and how to protect them and the environment we share.”
If you have never participated in the GBBC or any other Cornell Lab citizen-science project, you’ll need to create an account at http://gbbc.birdcount.org/
Count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the GBBC.
“Count birds in as many places, and on as many days, as you like, one day, two days, or all four days,” said Rioux.
“Submit a separate checklist for each new day, for each new location, or for the same location if you counted at a different time of day. Estimate the number of individuals of each species you saw during your count period.”
The Great Backyard Bird Count is a joint partnership between Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, with Bird Studies Canada as the official Canadian partner.