Anyone who wants to join in the count can do the following, according to the GBBC website:
- Decide where to watch for birds.
- Watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once, from Feb. 13-16.
- Identify all the birds you see or hear in your location during that time. Share that information in one of two ways:
- If you’re a beginner and completely new to bird identification, you can use the free Merlin Bird ID app.
- If you’ve done the count before and want to record the numbers of birds, you can submit that information using the free eBird mobile app or on the eBird website.
The count, now in its 29th year, was launched by Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. Birds Canada joined the effort in 2009, and in 2013, the initiative went worldwide.
On Saturday, the John James Audubon Center in Montgomery County hosted an on-site guided bird count and offered a birdfeeder-building workshop.
For those interested in learning more about their avian neighbors, Devlin said there are many ways to support bird populations beyond this weekend’s events.
“One of the most important things is planting native plants, plants that are originally from our area,” he said. “They can better support birds and other populations of pollinators, more so than plants that are maybe invasive or not from this area.”
Lists of native plant species can be found online at the National Audubon Society’s website, and The Discovery Center in Philadelphia is home to a seed library, where people can “check out” seeds to plant in their yards.
Installing bird feeders outdoors is another way to support bird populations, Devlin said, but he also recommends starting with basic curiosity and observation.
“There’s plenty of resources to read about, but I think the best thing that you can do is go out and just observe what you can see, even in your own backyard,” he said. “I think you learn a lot that way.”