Bird count project open to all

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LIMA — The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a free, fun, and easy event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of bird populations.

Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the four-day event and report their sightings online at birdcount.org. Anyone can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, from beginning bird watchers to experts, and they can participate from their backyards or anywhere in the world.

The 20th annual GBBC will be Feb. 17 through Feb. 20.

Each checklist submitted during the GBBC helps researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society learn more about how birds are doing and how to protect them and the environment. Last year, more than 160,000 participants submitted their bird observations online, creating the largest, instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations ever recorded.

Bird populations are always shifting and changing. For example, 2014 GBBC data highlighted a large irruption of snowy owls across the northeastern, mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes areas of the United States. The data also showed the effects that warm weather patterns have had on bird movement around the country. For more on the results of the 2016 GBBC, take a look at the GBBC Summary and look at the images in the 2016 GBBC Photo Contest Gallery.

On the program website, participants can explore real-time maps and charts that show what others are reporting during and after the count. The Explore a Region tool gives an idea of what someone can expect to see in his area during the next GBBC.

Visit the official website at birdcount.org for information.

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