Great Backyard Bird Count offers birdwatching prizes

The Great Backyard Bird Count is a great activity for the whole family

Every year, both beginner and expert birdwatchers in New Hampshire and all across the United States and Canada are asked by Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology to help tally the birds that that they see for at least 15 minutes during the weekend of February 12-15 as part of the annual Great Backyard Bird Count. Participants then simply visit Cornell’s Great Backyard Bird Count website and enter their totals for each species on the web form provided. The data is used by bird researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society, and Bird Studies Canada to track trends in the populations of birds throughout the country.

Spend fifteen minutes or four days on the Great Backyard Bird Count

Those wishing to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count are asked to spend at least fifteen minutes recording the bird species in one particular location. Simply mark down the largest number of birds of each species that you see together at the same time to make sure that you aren’t counting the same bird twice. If you can spend more than fifteen minutes, that’s great and you’ll probably get more species that way. You can even count birds at multiple locations over the four day observation period as long as you submit a separate Great Backyard Bird Count checklist for each location.

Great Backyard Bird Count resource links

• View the results of of the Great Backyard Bird Count
• Great Backyard Bird Count instructions
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Help with tricky bird identifications
• State by state listing of Great Backyard Bird Count events
• Great Backyard Bird Count resources for teachers
• Get a bird species checklist for your area
• Input your Great Backyard Bird Count results here or get a hard copy form

Great Backyard Bird Count participation prizes

Great Backyard Bird Count Participants are encouraged to perform counts in their own backyards, state parks, local forests, wetlands, and even along the seacoast. In short, Cornell would like to receive counts from every location where birds may be. To encourage participation in the Great Backyard Bird Count, everyone who submits a completed checklist will be entered into a drawing for a number of wonderful bird-related prizes including the Wingscapes Birdcam, Audubon Guides, bird books, DVDs, birdfeeders, and much more. This year, prizes for Great Backyard Bird Count participants are being supplied by Wild Birds Unlimited, Droll Yankees, DK Publishing, The National Audubon Society, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Great Backyard Bird Count photo contest

Participants are also encouraged to enter the Great Backyard Bird Count photo contest. Complete information about the photo contest can be found here.

New Hampshire's Backyard Winter Bird Survey

For New Hampshire residents, the Backyard Winter Bird Survey is also being held on February 13 and 14th. Find out more about the New Hampshire Audubon Society’s Backyard Winter Bird Survey here. Birders of all levels are encouraged to participate in both events and the same data can be used for both.

Massachusetts' Focus on Feeders bird count

For Massachusetts residents, Mass Audubon is conducting their annual Focus on Feeders bird counting event on February 6-7. Find out more about the Mass Audubon Focus on Feeders bird count here.
 

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This author also writes about the oceans as the Maritimes Headlines Examiner and about Outer Space at Associated Content. Join the Space Matters Facebook Fan Page.