Count your backyard birds this weekend

BRIDGEPORT – Local bird lovers can become research assistants for a weekend when the annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) gets underway for four days from Friday, Feb. 19, through Monday, Feb. 19.
GBBC debuted in 1998 through the combined efforts of the Natural Audubon Society and the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology as the first online citizen-science project to gather and display wild bird data in real time.
Since its introduction 20 years ago, GBBC has attracted more than 150,000 participants worldwide who create an annual snapshot of the numbers and distribution of wild birds. Counters are asked to record their observations for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the four-day count.
In 2013, GBBC merged with eBird, (ebird.org) where counters can create a free online account to enter their checklists. Once set up, participants can add to their checklists throughout the year.
Last February GBBC participants in more than 100 countries counted in excess of 6,200 bird species.
Scientists use information from the GBBC, along with observations from other citizen-science projects like the Christmas Bird Count, Project FeederWatch, and eBird, to get a clearer picture about what is happening to bird populations. The data helps address questions like:
• How does weather and climate change influence bird populations?
• Some birds, such as winter finches, appear in large numbers during some years but not others. Where are these species from year to year, and what can be learned from these patterns?
• How does the timing of birds’ migrations compare with past years?
• How are bird diseases, such as West Nile virus, affecting birds in different regions?
• What kinds of differences in bird diversity are apparent in cities versus suburban, rural, and natural areas?
Bird populations are dynamic and constantly in flux. No single scientist or team of scientists can document and understand the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time. Citizen-researchers working with projects like GBBC help expand that database.