As noted on the GBBC website (http://gbbc.birdcount.org/), the Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy – and it helps the birds.

Birmingham Audubon will be leading a guided bird count walk at Ruffner, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Come to Ruffner Mountain for a great birding location or count birds in your own backyard!

Great Backyard Bird Count Instructions
HOW TO COUNT THE BIRDS: Easy as 1-2-3!

• Count birds anywhere you like. We recommend at LEAST 15 minutes—or even longer if you wish. Keep track of the numbers and species of birds you see and how long you watched.
•  Make your best estimate of how many birds you saw of each species. For example, 5 Northern Cardinals, 3 American Crows. Huge flocks may be a challenge, but your best guess is still valuable.
•  Enter your list(s) online at BirdCount.org. Put in a new checklist:

--for each new day
--for each different location
--for the same location, same day, if you counted at a different time of day

Check out these apps for Bird Identification: Audubon Birds App, Ebird Mobile App, and Merlin Bird ID App