This Friday through Monday (15-18 Feb) is the annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). This is one of the premier citizen science projects world wide and was the first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time.

The Great Backyard Bird Count was launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. As of 2018 more than 160,000 people worldwide participate on one or more days of the four-day count to create an annual snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds. Data from the count is submitted using eBird. The same eBird that is used within the this chapter for other bird counts and in support of Virginia DGIF birding and wildlife trail programs as well as DGIF’s leadership role for the Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas.

You can participate for on one or more days of the count, February 15-18, 2019. You can participate as often as you want and are asked that each time you count it be for at least 15 minutes. You simply tally the numbers and kinds of birds you see. You can count from any location, anywhere in the world, for as long as you wish! So owl walks count. Count from your yard, at a Natural Area Preserve, or any of your favorite spots for observing wildlife. In past years there has been good participation in the project particularly in Northumberland and Westmoreland Counties

To learn more about the count go to http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/whycount.html

If you have any questions about the bird count or need assistance with eBird or to set up an eBird account please contact Jeff Wright at pec11908@mac.com