The 10th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, takes place February 16 to 19, 2007.
Birdwatchers are invited from across the United States and Canada to participate. Pat Leonard of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said that during the GBBC there is a friendly competition by state and province to see who can turn in the most checklists as well as a digital photo competition for the event.
Participants fill out a checklist for the day and enter their results online at the GBBC website. The website keeps a record of what birds are recorded by species and location, and includes photo galleries and information on identifying bird species.
Results from the checklists help scientists track changes in bird populations and ecological changes that may otherwise go unnoticed. “Because birds are so widely distributed, people who study them cannot get the “big picture” without help from legions of bird watchers who act as their eyes and ears,” Leonard said.
In conjunction with the GBBC, bird clubs, organizations, stores and Audubon chapters from the U.S. and Canada are sponsoring seminars and activities aimed at educating the public on bird identification.
For more details on how to participate visit the GBBC website, www.birdsource.org/gbbc.