Gifted Atlanta

It’s time again for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count, which begins this Friday.

Every year, the Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology sponsor the bird count, conducted by bird watchers of all ages across the country. The bird watch helps scientists understand how many birds are in different locations and how bird populations are changing. It’s a project your child can do at home, at school, at a local park, or in any other location. Last year, more than 160,000 birdwatchers in more than 130 countries took part.

To participate, you’ll spend a minimum of 15 minutes observing one location, on one or more days between Feb. 17 and Feb. 20, 2017. Tally how many birds of different varieties you see. Then submit your count through the web site. You can do just 15 minutes on one day and stop, or you can do lots more observations at different times of day and even different locations.

If your gifted child really enjoys birding, they can continue to make observations and submit them for scientific use all year long through eBird, another program of Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.