You Count, so Count the Birds so that They Count! Becky Peters

https://www.audubon.org/conservation/about-great-backyard-bird-count

The Great Backyard Bird Count

I think I share this every February, but it is a good reminder.  In this time of global climate change we need an idea of how our birds are doing globally more than ever.  So starting this February 15^thand going till Monday the 18^thyou get to count birds for 15 minutes and then turn in your sightings to birdcount.org.  Do this for just one day or for each of the four days.  Watch your feeders from the warmth of your living room or go for a walk in a park. Go alone or grab a kid or two!

Why do you count so much that we need you to do a GBBC?  Because you, as a citizen scientist, will collect data and turn it in and that helps to gather more information than a few scientists could ever do on their own. And this is a worldwide activity. We send in the data from around the world to Audubon and other avian scientists. If the scientists notice a trend where there is a decline in population then it is easier to study a possible threat to a species before it becomes endangered. The data we turn in can become early warning reports and maybe even healthy reports!!  The scientists can produce reports about bird populations over time, impacts from development, deforestation, land conversion and climate change. Hopefully there are even reports of trends where populations of some species are rebounding due to human help. As one appreciative scientist put it “We’re a team. You have more eyes, more ears.”

What are the steps? http://gbbc.birdcount.org/get-started/Create an account, count the birds then submit the observations on their gbbc home page or on your cell with eBird mobile app.

“When we save birds from large-scale threats we see that what’s good for the birds is also good for us. This is true about agriculture, fishing, and climate change. As we solve their problems we solve ours. This is about everyone’s quality of life.” —Gary Langham, National Audubon Science Director