February 12, 2013

CONTACT: Dana Vackar Strang, Director of Education, Audubon New Mexico, 505-983-4609, ext. 29, dstrang@audubon.org

New Mexican bird enthusiasts young and old are preparing to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) that kicks off this Friday around the nation. The GBBC officially runs Friday, February 15 through Monday, February 18, 2013.  Anyone can participate in the GBBC from the comfort of their own home and no registration is needed. Watch and count birds for at least 15 minutes on any day of the count. Enter your results at www.birdcount.org, where you can watch as the tallies grow across the continent.

“The Great Backyard Bird Count is a fun way for even novice birders and kids to participate in a nation-wide bird count,” said Karyn Stockdale, executive director of Audubon New Mexico. “We hope that New Mexicans around the state will take 15 minutes to contribute to this important citizen science event.”

The GBBC is hosted by the National Audubon Society, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Bird Studies Canada. The results provide a snapshot of the whereabouts of more than 600 bird species. The four-day count typically records more than 10 million observations

The 2012 GBBC brought in more than 104,000 bird checklists submitted by participants from across the United States and Canada. Altogether, bird watchers identified 623 species and counted more than 17 million birds total.

Although it’s called the Great “Backyard” Bird Count, the count extends well beyond backyards. Lots of participants choose to head for national parks, nature centers, urban parks, nature trails, or nearby sanctuaries. For more information, including bird-ID tips, instructions, and past results, visit www.birdcount.org. The count also includes a photo contest and a prize drawing for participants who enter their bird checklists online.