The Great Backyard Bird Count: February 17 - 20, 2023 | Macaroni KID Conejo Valley - Malibu

Count Birds in Your Backyard, Park or Wherever You Spot a Bird, and Submit Your Observations Online

Every February people all over the world come together for the love of birds and participate in . . . the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). This year’s count begins on Friday, February 17, 2023 and continues through Monday, February 20, 2023. Over these four days everyone is invited to spend time in their favorite places watching and counting as many birds as they can find then share their counts and photos with the GBBC. These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations. This is a great way for your family to spend some time together and enjoy the great outdoors. You kids will have a fun time while honing in their observation skills and learning all about the amazing wildlife around us.

More about the Great Backyard Bird Count:

Last year people world wide from 192 countries reported about 3/4 of the world's known species - amazing. View 2022 Final Result.

The GBBC was Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the GBBC was the first online citizen-science project (also referred to as community science) to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real time. Birds Canada joined the project in 2009 to provide an expanded capacity to support participation in Canada. In 2013, it became a global project when they began entering data into eBird, the world’s largest biodiversity-related citizen science (community science) project.

^{Steve-Luke/ Macaulay Library GBBC}

Birding

When the GBBC has ended consider making Birding with your family a regular outdoor activity. We live in such an amazing area with so many different kinds of birds. It's a great activity for all ages, consider inviting your extended family or friends along. What a great way to encourage your family to get outside and be active more. I've included lots of local information, resources and interesting articles all about birds to help you and your kids learn more, take a look below and click on the links.

Birdability . . . because birding is for everybody!

Birding truly is for everybody and every body, regardless of disability or other health concerns. Through education, outreach and advocacy, Birdability works to ensure the birding community and the outdoors are welcoming, inclusive, safe and accessible for everybody. Focused on people with mobility challenges, blindness or low vision, chronic illness, intellectual or developmental disabilities, mental illness, and those who are neurodivergent, deaf or hard of hearing or who have other health concerns. In addition to current birders, they strive to introduce birding to people with disabilities and other health concerns who are not yet birders so they too can experience the joys of birding.

The Birdability Map is a crowdsourced map which describes the accessibility features of birding locations all over the world. This allows people with accessibility challenges to find out in advance if a birding location is one they would like to visit.

Bird Walks

As events resume around town check the local Audubon websites below for their bird walk events and visit the Macaroni KID Conejo Valley - Malibu - Calabasas event calendar for local bird walks.

^{fishwork from Getty Images Signature}

How to Take Part in the Great Backyard Bird Count

Volunteers from around the world count the birds they see for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count, and then enter their checklists. It’s easy for people of all skill levels and abilities. Participants enter a new checklist for each new location or time of day during the four-day count. There are tools and information on the GBBC website to help new and returning birders, click on the links above and below for more details.

How to Participate

Decide where you want to watch birds
Watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days, February 17-20, 2023
Count all the birds you see or hear within your planned time/location and use one of the tools below to share your bird sightings

Tools to Share Bird Sighting

Great for beginning bird admirer and anyone new to the count: Merlin Bird ID app
Participated in the count before use eBird Mobile app or enter your bird list on the eBird website for desktop / laptop
Group participation see instructions for Group Counting
If you already contribute to Merlin or eBird, continue what you are doing! All entries over the 4-days count towards GBBC

Tips and Ideas

Where to Find Birds
How to Identify Birds - use these eight clues to guide you
Start at home in your front or backyard
Count the birds visiting your bird feeder / birdbath
Take a walk through your neighborhood count the birds
Head to a park
Find some water - creeks, rivers, lagoons, lakes and the beaches are great spotting options
Go on a drive and count the birds
Just count the birds any way that works for you

^{Luke-Seitz/Macaulay Library for GBBC}

Where to Go Birding:

You can go birding pretty much anywhere from your own backyard and neighborhood to local, state and National parks. You'll find lots of birds anywhere there's water like local creeks, ponds, lakes, lagoons and the beach even water fountains. Click the links below for even more ideas of places to go birding.

Birds

Birds of Ventura County PDF
Conejo Open Space - Printable Bird Checklist
Los Angeles Neighborhood Birds – The Ten Most Common
Ornithology - the science of birds

^{Fertnig from Getty Images Signature via Canva}

Just for Kids

Audubon for Kids is full of learning resources just for kids, crafts, games and more.

Learn more about birds

Articles from Audubon

^{Angelafoto from Getty Images Signature via Canva}

Local Organizations / Resources

Santa Monica Mountains - National Recreation Area
Conejo Open Space Foundation
Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop - Thousand Oaks
Conejo Valley Audubon's Bird-Friendly Virtual Garden Tour 2020
Local Native Plant Resources
California Wildlife Center - Malibu
The Ojai Raptor Center
Heal the Bay

Audubon

The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. Audubon’s state programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, Audubon’s vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Audubon is a nonprofit conservation organization. (From their website)

These local sites are a treasure trove of resources and information, many offer bird walks, field trips or other events.

Local Audubon

You might also enjoy: The Annual Great Backyard Bird Count - Count Those Birds!

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