Great Backyard Bird Count 2012

In my “Science Rocks” blog post earlier this year I mentioned that you didn’t have to be a scientist to contribute to our wealth of scientific knowledge. I encouraged you to become part of a citizen scientist program that meshed with your interests. For all of you nature lovers out there, there is a great opportunity to participate in a valuable, four day, citizen scientist program from your very own backyard starting Friday, February 17, 2012. It is the Great Backyard Bird Count. (GBBC)

The GBBC runs from Friday, February 17 – Monday, February 20. You can count for whatever days you can participate and for as little as 15 minutes a day in order to gather useful data for scientific studies. Print out your regional tally sheet and you are all set to go. There is also a photo contest every year that you can participate in. Check out last year’s fabulous photo contest winners.

So gather up your binoculars and bird ID book (not required) and get some fresh air while making a contribution to science. Click here for other bird related citizen scientist programs.