{"id":46439,"date":"2025-01-23T14:57:06","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T19:57:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=46439"},"modified":"2025-01-23T14:58:33","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T19:58:33","slug":"backyard-bird-count","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/backyard-bird-count\/","title":{"rendered":"Ready, Set \u2026 Count! Popular Annual Birding Event Aids Research"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Held each February, the Great Backyard Bird Count unites fans of feathered friends around the world\u2014and you can take part!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Melissa Newcomb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you\u2019re in the woods, at a city park, near a lake, on a college campus, or simply looking out your window\u2014you\u2019re welcome to join the flock of people around the world who participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count<\/a> each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Held in February (in 2025, it\u2019s the 14th\u201317th), the four-day event\u2014organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology,\u00a0in collaboration with Audubon and Birds Canada\u2014invites volunteers to watch birds and record what they see and hear, immensely enriching the Lab\u2019s trove of data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Counting birds in …<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
\"A
India<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Two
Tennessee<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Three
Nigeria<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"People
Alabama<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Birdwatchers
Nicaragua<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"A
Canada<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"A
Hawaii<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"A
Idaho<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Four
Ithaca<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Two
Virginia<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"A
Mexico<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Six
Colombia<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"A
and Ohio!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

It could be\u2014as reported in past years\u2014a northern cardinal in Canada; a southern yellowthroat in Brazil; a steppe eagle in India; a woodland kingfisher in Ghana; or one of hundreds of other species spotted worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBirds are fun, striking creatures that we see everywhere,\u201d says project leader Becca Rodomsky-Bish. \u201cThis is a way to welcome and connect people who are curious about nature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Birds are fun, striking creatures that we see everywhere. This is a way to welcome and connect people who are curious about nature.<\/p>\nBecca Rodomsky-Bish<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Bird Count began in 1998, with around 30,000 participants in the U.S.; back then, sightings were recorded on paper and submitted by mail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has since gone online and grown to more than 640,000 people\u2014experienced birders and first-timers alike\u2014reporting from around the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To participate, you need only to observe (or listen to) birds for at least 15 minutes during the four-day period and record your sightings using either the Merlin Bird ID<\/a> or eBird<\/a> app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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