SOUTHERN MARYLAND — The 2026 Great Backyard Bird Count wraps up today, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, marking the final day of the four-day global birdwatching and community science event that began Friday, Feb. 13.
Now in its 29th year, the annual Great Backyard Bird Count invites people of all ages and experience levels to spend time outdoors watching and counting birds, then report what they see. Organizers say the observations collected during the four-day event help scientists better understand global bird populations ahead of one of their major annual migrations.
The Great Backyard Bird Count was launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society as the first online participatory science project to collect and display near real-time data on wild birds. Birds Canada joined the partnership in 2009, expanding participation and support nationwide. In 2013, organizers began entering submissions into eBird, now the world’s largest biodiversity-related community science platform, making the initiative fully global.
How To Participate In The 2026 Great Backyard Bird Count
Participation is simple and can be done anywhere birds are present.
Step 1: Choose a location.
Select a backyard, neighborhood, park, trail or any outdoor space where you can observe birds.
Step 2: Watch for at least 15 minutes.
Spend 15 minutes or more watching birds at least once between Friday, Feb. 13, and Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. Participants may count on one day or all four.
Step 3: Identify and report your sightings.
Record all the birds you see or hear during your chosen time and submit your observations using one of the official tools:
- Beginners can use the free Merlin Bird ID app to identify species by sight or sound.
- Returning participants who want to track numbers can use the eBird Mobile app or enter their checklist on the eBird website from a desktop or laptop.
Each submitted checklist appears on an interactive global map, allowing participants to watch the world light up with bird observations in near real time. Families, classrooms and community groups are also encouraged to take part, and organized birding events can be added to the official map so others may join locally.
Organizers say whether someone counts one bird or dozens of species, every entry contributes valuable data to a worldwide conservation effort.
More information, participation details and past results are available at birdcount.org.
See the 2025 GBBC images here.
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Only had to transfer three feral cats to Animal Control this go around of counting backyard birds, while only having to clean up one pile of feathers (Mourning Dove) from the attack of this invasive species.