How to Participate
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American White Pelicans, Travis G. Snyder, UT, 2009 GBBC |
It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!
1. Plan to count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or
more days of the count. You can count for longer than that if
you wish! Count birds in as many places and on as many days as you
like—one day, two days, or all four days. Submit a separate checklist
for each new day. You can also submit more than one checklist per day
if you count in other locations on that day.
2. Count the greatest number of individuals of each species
that you see together at any one time. You may find it helpful
to print out your regional bird
checklist to get an idea of the kinds of birds you're
likely to see in your area in February. You could take note of the
highest number of each species you see on this checklist.
3. When you're finished, enter your results through our web page. You'll see a button marked "Enter Your Checklists!" on the website home page beginning on the first day of the count. It will remain active until the deadline for data submission on March 1st.
| Carolina Wren, Jim Lockyer, CA, 2009 GBBC |
Other helpful tools and information:
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Data form. Some people find it helpful to fill out the form before entering it on the website. By printing it off ahead of time, they know what information they need to be aware of, such as snow depth, for example.
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GBBC participation certificate to give out to students or to anyone who takes part in the GBBC
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Local events. Have a look at some of the events from the last count to get some ideas on what you could plan in your community for the next GBBC.
- If you're a teacher looking to get your class involved with the
GBBC, read through our educator's
materials for some ideas.
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If you're new to bird watching, you might want to check out our "Learn About Birds" section. You'll find help with tricky bird identifications, choosing binoculars, bird feeding tips, and much more.
Participants have many questions that we've tried to address over the years. Questions such as: Why hold the count in February? How many lists may I submit? or How are the results used? We have answers to these questions and many others in our FAQ section!
