Bird and nature lovers everywhere unite in the effort to tally as many of the world’s bird species as possible for the Great Backyard Bird Count. This weekend, enjoy bird watching and help create a clear picture of how birds are faring – whether individual species are declining, increasing, or holding steady in the face of habitat loss, climate change, and other threats.

Amateur and expert bird watchers of all ages can help track birds as part of the annual Great Backyard Bird Count, February 17-20. Spend time in your favorite places watching birds, count them, and submit them to help scientists protect birds. 

Each participant or group counts birds for any length of time (but for at least 15 minutes) and enters the birds they could identify at each site they visited, whether that be from home, at a local park, or in a wilderness area. 

People of all ages and skill levels are welcome. The Great Backyard Bird Count website has tools and information to help birdwatching beginners. Bird counts can be submitted with the Merlin Bird ID app, eBird Mobile app, and online.  

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Spend time watching birds, count them, and submit them to help scientists protect birds.

In Kansas City, the Trailside Center, 9901 Holmes Road, will host one-mile hikes along Indian Creek’s paved trails beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 18; at 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 19; and at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, February 20. Participants will tally the number of individual birds of each species they see during their count period. 

In Olathe, the Ernie Miller Nature Center, 909 N. Hwy 7, will host all ages to help count birds alongside experienced birders from the Burroughs Audubon Society from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on Saturday, February 19. 

In a study published by the journal Science, scientists revealed a decline of more than one in four birds in the United States and Canada since 1970 – three billion birds gone. In addition to these steep declines, Audubon scientists project, in Survival By Degrees, that nearly two-thirds of North America’s bird species could disappear due to climate change. Birds from around the world are facing similar challenges and declines. Counting birds for science is one simple action that individuals can take to protect birds and the places where they live.

Recently, more than 300,000 participants submitted their bird observations online, creating the largest instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations ever recorded. During the 2022 GBBC, birdwatchers counted 149 bird species in Kansas and 148 species in Missouri. 

The Great Backyard Bird Count is a joint project of the National Audubon Society, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Birds Canada.