Annual Great Backyard Bird Count approaches

Fort Macleod and district residents are encouraged to join the 29th annual Great Backyard Bird Count from Feb. 13-16.

Participants will spend at least 15 minutes watching birds and sharing what they see with the world at birdcount.org.

“The (count) is a great opportunity for everyone to take a moment to appreciate what birds and nature can do for us,” said David Bonter, co-director of the Center for Engagement in Science and Nature at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “Watching birds with friends and family is also a great way to build community and show your support for the natural world.”

Those people planning to participate can attend a webinar about the Great Backyard Bird Count.

Combined with other bird counts, the Great Backyard Bird Count results help create a clearer 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.

More than 800,000 people participated during the 2025 Great Backyard Bird Count.

Birders found 8,078 species of the world’s known species, 158 more than in 2024.

“By participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count we can appreciate the beauty and serenity that birds bring us every day. In return, the bird observations we submit can be used to inform conservation efforts that secure a brighter future for birds and people alike,” said Ben Haywood, Audubon’s director of community science. “The more the merrier as we celebrate the joy of birds all over the world and join the global effort to protect them and the places they need.”

To take part in the 2026 Great Backyard Bird Count, each participant or group counts birds for 15 minutes or more and uses the Merlin Bird ID app or eBird app to enter the birds they can identify at each site they visit.

That could be their backyard, but it could also be a park, a wilderness area, apartment balcony, neighborhood street, or anywhere.

First-time participants in the Great Backyard Bird Count should make it a point to read the instructions on the Web site, where they will also find helpful birding tips and birding app downloads.

The Web site also features a map of local events.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada and is made possible in part by founding sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited.