If you're going to be talking to a reporter about the Great Backyard Bird Count, just relax and have fun. If you’re unsure how to answer any question you’re asked, just refer the reporter to one of the media contacts at Audubon, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, or Bird Studiea Canada. They're listed at the bottom of the news release.

Why do you participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count? Share your thoughts about what motivates you and what you like best about it. You might mention a few favorite birds or memorable moments you’ve had during the count.

What is the Great Backyard Bird Count? It’s a fun, easy, and free annual event that anyone can participate in, and it helps the birds! Tens of thousands of people from across the United States and Canada will count birds for at least 15 minutes during four days, February 18-21, 2011. Then they enter their checklists online at www.birdcount.org.
 
This creates a real-time picture of where the birds are—something that would be impossible without participants counting from communities everywhere. In 2010, participants sent in more than 97,300 checklists and reported more than 600 species.

Every checklist counts! Scientists can use the information to learn more about birds and work toward their conservation. By looking at trends over time, they find out which species may declining and how they may be affected by factors such as urbanization, West Nile virus, or global warming. 

The GBBC is led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society with Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada.

Why should people participate? It’s fun to watch birds and see how your counts fit in with the big picture, and to contribute to a long-term record that scientists can use well into the future to keep track of how birds are faring.  Also, it’s easy; wherever you happen to be, just count the highest number of each kind of bird you see at any one time…that’s it!

How do people participate? It’s easy—anyone can do it. Just watch birds anywhere for at least 15 minutes. Record the highest number of birds you see at any one time. Then enter your counts online at the Great Backyard Bird Count web site www.birdcount.org. Instructions, bird watching tips, and photos are also available on the website and you can also see what others are reporting throughout the U.S. and Canada.

What kinds of birds do people see? All sorts of birds! For a list of last year’s local results or the GBBC top 10 birds, visit the results page.

What have scientists learned from past counts? The Great Backyard Bird Count provides an amazing amount of information about the locations and numbers of birds, including the spring migratory routes of Sandhill Cranes, records of lingering migrants such as Orange-crowned Warblers and Tree Swallows. Every year we see the range of the introduced Eurasian Collared-Doves expanding. We see the decline in numbers of some species and increases in others. For more examples, visit the “Science Stories” section of the web site.