The 12th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds, according the events website.
It is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audobon Society and is meant to create a snapshot of where the birds are across the continent.
“The GBBC benefits both birds and people,” Audobon Education Vice President Judy Braus said on the website. “It’s a great example of citizen science: Anyone who can identify even a few species can contribute to the body of knowledge that is used to inform conservation efforts to birds and biodiversity.”
On the website www.birdcount.org, you can access a list of bird species located in your local area by entering your zip code or the name of your town. As you bird watch during the four days, you can check the birds you see off the list.
Entering Rockingham into the website, you are given a list of approximately 100 species of birds.
In addition, there are also tips on correctly identifying the birds you see and a photo gallery of bird species.
In 2008, participants submitted more than 85,000 checklists, according to the group’s website.
“The GBBC has become a vital link in the arsenal of continent-wide bird-monitoring projects,” Cornell Lab of Ornithology Director John Fitzpatrick said on the site. “With more than a decade of data now in hand, the GBBC has documented the fine-grained details of late-winter bird distributions better than any project in history, including some truly striking changes just over the past decade.
The nearest local events to mark the event will be held in Charlotte and Wilmington, however, businesses, schools, nature clubs, scout troops and other community organizations interested in the GBBC can contact the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at (800) 843-2473, or the National Audubon Society at citizenscience@audubon.org or (202) 861-2242, Ext 3050.
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