Entering its 15th year, the Great Backyard Bird Count, a joint project of Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon and Bird Studies Canada, begins on Friday,

February 17th and ends on Monday, February 20th. Bird lovers all over the country count the birds in their yards and at their feeders to provide a real-time snapshot of where the bird populations are.Duncraft is urging all its customers, Facebook Fans and Twitter followers to get involved!

Also known simply as the GBBC, this annual bird count is invaluable in tracking bird populations and locations. Everyone is invited to count birds. Participants can count birds for as little as fifteen minutes or as much as four hours. The most birds of the same species that are seen at one time are tallied and reported. This way the species of bird is counted only once per backyard. Without voluntary participants nation wide, scientists would never be able to track and report on all the populations and movements of all the wild birds across the country.

Reports help answer many questions. They show how climate influences wild birds—has the weather increased or decreased populations? They show where winter finches and other irruptive species are located across the country and also if specific diseases might be a concern. The timing of migration this year as compared to other years can also be calculated, among many other yearly variables.

Each year many Duncraft employees participate in the count and through its Wild Bird Blog and Facebook and Twitter followers, Duncraft is able to invite many thousands of people to also join in. Duncraft wishes the GBBC great success in this year’s count.

Founded in 1952 and located in Concord, New Hampshire, Duncraft’s objective is to bring the joy of backyard birding to wild bird lovers all across the country. Mike Dunn, owner and CEO is constantly inventing and searching for innovative ideas in bird feeding—giving bird lovers years of bird feeding enjoyment, success and satisfaction.

Source: Duncraft