The Great International Backyard Bird Count for 2016 and the Burien Birdfest will be Feb. 12-15, and Burien-area volunteers are needed!
What began in 1998 with just 500 participants has grown into an annual event spanning thousands of people and more than 100 countries in the world.
It’s the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), organized initially by the National Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology. In 2015 the participants to this event submitted 147,265 bird observation checklists.
The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a partnership between the Audubon Society, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology( data base center for bird research in the world), and Bird Studies Canada as the official Canadian partner. The GBBC is an annual four-day event that engages birdwatchers of all ages across North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, India and Australia in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are. Anyone can participate, from beginners to experts. You can count for as little as 15 minutes on a single day, or for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy – and it helps to protect the birds.
The GBBC helps researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society learn more about how birds are doing in the world, and how to protect them and the environment we all share. Last year, more than 147,000 + participants submitted their bird observations by filling out and submitting their bird observation checklists, creating the largest instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations ever recorded.
This year, the 19th annual GBBC will be held Friday, February 12, through Monday, February 15, 2016. Please visit the official website at birdcount.org for more information and be sure to check out the latest educational and promotional resources. This event is also sponsored by the Wild Birds Unlimited Stores. Look out your window or go outdoors and count birds for 15 minutes, fill out and submit a checklist and help put Burien’s birds on the world map for 2016.
Also there will be a free, public education event about Birds at Page2 Books on Feb. 13, 2016 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Page2 Books. This Birdfest event is sponsored by Bob Edgar, Sustainable Burien, Wild Birds Unlimited and Page 2 Books. Some of the Northwest’s finest bird artists, photographers, writers, researchers and storytellers will be presenting at this event. Children are welcome to the event also: Page 2 Books, 457 SW 152nd St, Burien, WA 98166 ,(206) 248-7248