Participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count!

Join this world-wide event February 14 – 17th, 2025

“When the world comes together for the love of birds.”

How often do we get the chance to contribute to collective efforts spanning the entire globe? The scope of the Great Backyard Bird Count is just one of many features that make this annual campaign so cool. If you have never participated in a citizen science project, you may discover many great reasons to get involved.

Citizen science is the practice of public participation and collaboration in scientific research to increase scientific knowledge. In the case of the Great Backyard Bird Count, this means watching for birds for at least fifteen minutes in a location and submitting what birds you see or hear to the count. This annual event occurs before Spring migration begins in the US (where the event originated) and the observations made during this time help scientists better understand global bird populations. The GBBC is a great way to connect with nature, even from the comfort of home if you can view birds through a window. This fun event offers opportunities to observe the lively habits of our feathered friends. You may want to bring a camera and practice nature photography, and invite family members young and old to join in! You can learn about birds world-wide and view the live map light up with bird count submissions on the GBBC website.

We encourage you to visit our Door County Land Nature Preserves for your birdwatching outings!
These are the favored sites amongst our bird-loving staff:
(click the name for more details)
–Legacy Preserve at Clay Banks
–Heins Creek Nature Preserve
–White Cliff Nature Preserve
–Lautenbach Woods Nature Preserve
–Three Springs Nature Preserve

We would love to hear about your birding adventures on Land Trust properties, so feel free to share images and stories with us through our social media channels, Facebook and Instagram.

Here are some resources to help you get involved in the Great Backyard Bird Count:

If you are new to birdwatching, there is a free app that can help you identify birds! The app Merlin can be downloaded on your phone and used to ID birds by their birdcall. This app can also be used for tracking your birds for the official Bird Count.

Another free app recommended for tracking bird counts is eBird Mobile. It links with the global online database, eBird, where bird records are used by birders around the world.

Many communities host Great Backyard Bird Count events, so you can observe birds together. You can find a directory on the birdcount.org website, search Facebook, or host your own event in your community!

Birdcount.org is the official event website. Here you can find more details, history of the event, photographs, the live bird count map, and more!

Add “Great Backyard Bird Count” to your calendar for February 14-17, 2025 and don’t forget to tell your friends!

Watch this webinar from Door County Land Trust about identifying birds!

Webinar: Learn the Basics of Bird Identification from Door County Land Trust on Vimeo.

Here is a webinar from 2024 explaining more about the Great Backyard Bird Count from Door County Land Trust!

About Birds: How to Participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count from Door County Land Trust on Vimeo.