6 February 2021

February’s weather is daunting and the pandemic keeps us stuck at home but there’s a fun project coming up next weekend. For four days — Friday February 12 through Monday February 15, 2021 — you can count birds at your feeders for the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), an annual citizen science project that tracks winter bird populations.

All you have to do is count birds for at least 15 minutes, note the highest number of each species, and record your count on eBird.

Visit the birdcount.org website for instructions on how to participate, a live map of eBird sightings, and ways to share your GBBC photos.

You can count birds anywhere, indoors or out. However …

If Pittsburgh’s 7-day forecast is correct you’ll prefer to be indoors. The weather will be super-cold, songbirds will be mobbing your feeders and you may even see a hungry hawk.

Stock up on bird seed, fill your feeders, and get ready for the bird count you can do in your pajamas, 12-15 February 2021.

(photo by Marcy Cunkelman)