Join the world in supporting and connecting with birds – February 17-20! Chattahoochee Bend State Park (CBSP) is an excellent place to spend a few hours, enjoy nature and conduct your 2023 Great Backyard Bird Count! Sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada, this annual citizen science project is a fun and great way to celebrate and support our birds along with a global community. The observations and counts help scientists better understand the world’s bird populations before their annual spring migration begins. Whether you count one bird or hundreds, join thousands of other birdwatchers and count birds for science.
Participating in the annual count is easy to do alone or with a group, and can be done anywhere you find birds. We hope you will choose the hiking trails at CBSP one or more days during the event!
Summary of the steps:
Step 1: Decide where you will watch birds.
Step 2: Watch birds for at least 15 minutes or more, and at least once over the four days, February 17-20, 2023, or as many times and for as long as you would like!
Step 3: Identify all the birds you see or hear within your planned time/location and use the best tool for sharing your bird sightings:
- If you are a beginning bird admirer and new to bird identification, try using the Merlin Bird ID app to tell us what birds you are seeing or hearing.
- If you have participated in the count before and want to record numbers of birds, try the eBird Mobile app or enter your bird list on the eBird website (desktop/laptop).
- If you already contribute to Merlin or eBird, continue what you are doing! ALL entries over the 4-days count towards the GBBC totals.
More details on how to identify, count, and submit your counts are available on the website at https://www.birdcount.org/. This site also has information about an upcoming webinar on Feb. 15th at 1:00PM with tips on birdwatching and a Q&A session.
Mark your calendar and be a part of a global citizen science event where the world comes together for the love of birds!
Article and images by CBSP Friends members Jimmy& Tammy Cash