Great Backyard Bird Count

Are you looking for a great activity that the entire family can be involved in? Participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count on February 14-17th. Each February, the world comes together for the love of birds for four days. Participating is easy. All you must do is watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once, over those four days. Identify all the birds you see or hear and upload them to the official count! You can upload those results using the eBird app or www.birdcount.org. This is a great way to be a citizen scientist and help The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon.

Northern Cardinals are common backyard birds!

Northern Cardinals are common backyard birds!
Image credit: Johnny N. Dell, Bugwood.org

You do not have to be an expert birder to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. There are a lot of great birding resources out there to assist in making this an enjoyable experience for all.

Some of these resources include:

  • Audubon’s website – great identification tips and basic biology of birds
  • Electronic Bird Call called the Identiflyer – this was developed locally at For the Birds in Salem, SC, and is a great tool to help you learn bird calls
  • Merlin Bird App – helps you learn what bird is currently calling around you
  • Field Guides – in general, this is great to have nearby when birding! I am a big fan of Sibley’s Field Guides, but everyone has their own preference. Peterson’s First Field Guides are great for kids!
Covey prepping for his bird watching.

Covey prepping for his bird watching.
Mallory Maher, Clemson Extension

Over my years of birding, I have observed over 176 different species of birds in various places in the United States and beyond. If you submit your observations to eBird, it will keep track of this for you, and you can watch your list grow.

If you want to increase the number of birds that call your backyard home, start by surveying what you already have! The key to any backyard wildlife habitat is to have a variety of different vegetation types available. Ask yourself the question, “How diverse is my landscape?” If you only have one type of plant, like a lawn of just bermudagrass, chances are, you will not have many birds or wildlife in general. You want different layers and types of vegetation, like canopy trees, mid-story trees, shrubs, bushes, forbs, vines, and open areas. This will increase your chances of seeing a variety of species in your yard. If you would like some native plant suggestions to attract birds to your backyard, please reach out to us! Happy birding!

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/attracting-feeding-songbirds/

We also have a FREE Online Short Course, Backyard Wildlife Habitat, that may interest you!

https://cpe.clemson.edu/browse/extension/courses/backyard-wildlife-habitat

Happy Birding! I hope you join me and participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count!

If this document didn’t answer your questions, please contact HGIC at hgic@clemson.edu or 1-888-656-9988.

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