'Great Backyard Bird Count' begins Feb. 17
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The Great Backyard Bird Count begins Feb. 17, and anyone can participate by identifying the birds around them.
Each year in February, during a four-day span, millions of people count the variety of birds that can be seen and heard in their own backyards. The Great Backyard Bird Count allows people from all over the world to come together and share their love of birds while learning about migration patterns. These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations.
All that is needed to participate is to log the birds that can be counted in a 15-minute period on at least one of the four days (Feb. 17-20) of the event. Bird sightings can be entered on the eBird Mobile app (https://www.birdcount.org/ebird-mobile-app/), and help with identifying birds can be obtained by downloading the Merlin Bird ID app (https://www.birdcount.org/merlin-bird-id-app/.)
For details about the bird count, visit https://www.birdcount.org/participate/.
A few state parks are also holding events, including Chippokes in Surry, Hungry Mother in Marion, New River Trail in Max Meadows, and First Landing in Virginia Beach. For details about the state park events, visit www.virginiastateparks.gov.
