The Great Backyard Bird Count is going worldwide this year for the first time in the 16th annual bird count today through Monday. All participants need is Internet access. Then you simply watch birds at any location for at least 15 minutes, tally the numbers of each species you see and report the tallies online at BirdCount.org.
The Great Backyard Bird Count is a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon.
Also for the first time this year, anyone can see the bird observations as they come in from around the world at The Great Backyard Bird Count website. Global participation is possible this year because of eBird, a real-time online checklist program the Cornell Lab and Audubon are using. The developers of the eBird BirdLog app are offering regional versions of the app for 99 cents through Monday at birdseyebirding.com.
The Great Backyard Bird Count is open to anyone of any skill level and welcomes bird observations from any location, including backyards, national parks, gardens, wetlands and urban landscapes. The four-day count typically receives sightings from tens of thousands of people reporting more than 600 bird species in the United States and Canada. Find more information at birdsource.org.
-- The Oregonian