What Kind of Birds Live in Your Area?

Yesssss!! My favorite thing to do is coming!

The Great Backyard Bird Count!

Join me along with the thousands of people 

from all over the world in counting the birds.

In 2016, Great Backyard Bird Count participants

 in more than 130 countries counted 

5,689 species of birds on more than 162,000 checklists!

Why Count Birds?

Scientists and bird enthusiasts can learn a lot by knowing where the birds are. Bird populations are dynamic; they are constantly in flux. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to document and understand the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time.

Scientists use information from the Great Backyard Bird Count, along with observations from other citizen-science projects to get the “big picture” about what is happening to bird populations. The longer these data are collected, the more meaningful they become in helping scientists investigate far-reaching questions, like these:

• How will the weather and climate change influence bird populations?

• Some birds, such as winter finches, appear in large numbers during some years but not others. Where are these species from year to year, and what can we learn from these patterns?

• How will the timing of birds’ migrations compare with past years?

• How are bird diseases, such as West Nile virus, affecting birds in different regions?

• What kinds of differences in bird diversity are apparent in cities versus suburban, rural, and natural areas?  

Example:  Last year when I saw a few White-crowned Sparrows I added them to my check list. I was contacted to be sure I hadn't mis-identified the bird. Luckily I had gotten a photo of it and submitted it. Sure enough, that's what it was. They were surprised that species was still here. I'm told it usually leaves this are by then. 

The site has ample info to help you identify birds you may see.

You can even send and ecard to friends and family to get together for a fun and educational outing! Kids love it!
This will be my 10th year participating!

Who you see may just surprise you!

Have fun!