We can join a free worldwide event this weekend while making a valuable contribution to science with the 26th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count which runs from Friday to Monday. 

Conservation biologist Matt Gasner with Nature Conservancy of Canada says there are some really good reasons we should consider participating in this worldwide bird count. 

“One of the main ones being the scientific aspect,” he says. “So, you're contributing to our understanding of birds at this time of year. It gives us an indication of the state of our natural world, understanding how bird species are responding to changes in the world. It gives us an idea of how we're changing the world and how we might adjust our activities, our conservation efforts, like those that we're doing here at Nature Conservancy of Canada.” 

He says anyone can participate in the bird count, adding that it can be a lot of fun to spot a bird that is uncommon for your location. 

“You can get individuals that might wander off course during their migration, or in winter they might be shifting their populations to find more abundant food sources.”

Gasner enjoys the mystery involved with bird watching. 

“You can have your regular list of species that you become confident in, but there's always a mystery,” he says. “You might see something less common, rare, but then you might also just get a short glimpse of something, and you have to piece together clues to try and figure out what you're looking at. It might be rare, or it might not be. But you have to put it together and solve that mystery.” 

boreal owl in treeBoreal owl hides in an evergreen. (Photo Credit: Matt Gasner)

Last year, just over 384,000 people in 192 different countries participated in this annual bird count. In Canada, there were over 57,000 lists of birds submitted across all 10 provinces and 3 territories.  

Bird populations are declining in Canada with habitat loss being a major factor in that. The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) reports that on the one hand, waterfowl and birds of prey appear to be growing in number, more than doubling their populations since 1970. On the other hand, shorebirds and aerial insectivores like swallows appear to be disappearing at alarming rates. 

Loss of grassland birds in the Prairies is a major concern. NCC’s conservation work protects critical habitats for these species. In Manitoba, NCC’s projects support more than 248 bird species, including species at risk such as burrowing owl, western grebe, Sprague’s pipit, red knot, and evening grosbeak.

Gasner says the Great Backyard Bird Count is designed to allow people of all experience levels to participate. 

“It’s pretty easy. You can be a complete novice at bird identification,” he notes. 

The only requirement is to commit 15 minutes for observation and a few minutes afterward to report your findings. 

Gasner says there are a couple of free applications that people can use to help with identification. 

“One of the free resources that are available to beginning birders and experts alike is the Merlin Bird ID app. And it's a free app, there's no advertisements, you can download that to your mobile device.” 

Another free application is the eBird mobile app which is the database that supports the bird count itself, he notes. 

Choose your tools and get started. 
Merlin Bird ID app 
eBird Mobile app 
eBird on a computer 

The Great Backyard Bird Count is run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society and Birds Canada. You can learn more about the event at Great Backyard Bird Count – How to Participate.