Rules For The 2012 Great Backyard Bird Count

Your Bird Feeder

Here are the rules for the 2012 Great Backyard Bird Count. Click the link at the bottom for more details.

1. Plan to count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count. You can count for longer than that if you wish! Count birds in as many places and on as many days as you like—one day, two days, or all four days. Submit a separate checklist for each new day. You can also submit more than one checklist per day if you count in other locations on that day.

2. Count the greatest number of individuals of each species that you see together at any one time. You may find it helpful to print out your regional bird checklist to get an idea of the kinds of birds you're likely to see in your area in February. You could take note of the highest number of each species you see on this checklist.

3. When you're finished, enter your results through our web page. You'll see a button marked "Enter Your Checklists!" on the website home page beginning on the first day of the count. It will remain active until the deadline for data submission.

How to Participate

Great Backyard Bird Count 2012

Your Bird Feeder

This looks like a great new feature for the Bird Count. Click the link at the bottom for more details.

During this year's Great Backyard  Bird Count, February 17-20, you’re going to see something new in the corner of the website home page where the map is located. As each checklist is entered online, it will show up as a bright dot on the map. As the tens of thousands of reports come in, the map should light up like mini-fireworks! You’ll be able to click on the map to make it larger so you get the full impact of all those bird watchers reporting their tallies. Watch for it! 

Great Backyard Bird Count

 

Get Ready For The 2012 Great Backyard Bird Count

Bird Feeder

Learn about the 2012 Great Backyard Bird Count:

"Bird enthusiasts across the U.S. and Canada are gearing up for the Great Backyard Bird Count. It’s not too late to participate in the February 17-20 event. It’s free to participate, and everything is available online. The GBBC is open to anyone, including novice bird-watchers and students. Participants don’t need to be able to identify every bird, and the online submission process helps check their accuracy and prevent errors. Out of excuses yet?"

Got Birds? Get Ready to Count!

2012 Great Backyard Bird Count Presentation

Your Bird Feeder

"Download the 2012 PowerPoint presentation explaining how to take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, why participation is needed, and what we can learn from the count. It also features the top 10 birds reported during the last count."

Give a slide show

2012 Great Backyard Bird Count

Bird Feeder

"Anyone can participate in this free event and no registration is needed. Watch and count birds for at least 15 minutes on any day of the count, February 17-20, 2012. Enter your results at www.birdcount.org, where you can watch as the tallies grow across the continent. The four-day count typically records more than 10 million observations."

Great Backyard Bird Count Perfect for New Birders

Great Backyard Bird Count 2011 Photo Contest Winners

Your Bird Feeder

From an elegant American Tree Sparrow to an acrobatic, snake-snatching Red-shouldered Hawk, the photos submitted for the 2011 GBBC photo contest were stunning. Our judges have made their choices and we are delighted to present the 2011 winners and runners-up, chosen from the nearly 6,000 images submitted.

 

2011 Photo Contest Winners

 

 

The 2012 Great Backyard Bird Count Dates Are Announced

Bird Feeder

The next Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) takes place Friday, February 17, through Monday, February 20, 2012.

Click below for the results of the 2011 Count

Participants submitted more than 92,000 checklists to the GBBC this year--the third year in a row that checklists topped 90,000. New checklist records were set in 11 states and in 7 out of 13 Canadian provinces and territories, resulting in a new overall checklist record for Canada. Altogether, participants identified 596 species and 11.4 million bird observations.

Great Backyard Bird Count Highlights

Results Of The 2011 Great Backyard Bird Count

Your Bird Feeder

Participants submitted more than 92,000 checklists to the GBBC this year--the third year in a row that checklists topped 90,000. New checklist records were set in 11 states and in 7 out of 13 Canadian provinces and territories, resulting in a new overall checklist record for Canada. Altogether, participants identified 596 species and 11.4 million bird observations.

Great Backyard Bird Count Highlights

Don't Forget About The Great Backyard Bird Count 2011

Bird Feeder

Don't forget about the Great Backyard Bird Count 2011 that is going on now. Click this link for details:

The Great Backyard Bird Count

2011 Great Backyard Bird Count

Bird Feeder

Here is information and a link for the next Great Backyard Bird Count. Get the whole family together for a fun activity.

Join The Great Backyard Bird Count

February 18-21, 2011

Great Backyard Bird Count 

The Great Backyard Bird Count 2011 Dates Are Set!

Your Bird Feeder

Make sure that you participate in the 2011 Great Backyard Bird Count

The next Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) takes place Friday, February 18 through Monday, February 21, 2011.

Save the dates: the GBBC is coming!