Whether you're an accomplished bird watcher or you just love to see the natural the wonders of Wyoming, you can make your love of nature count for science during the Annual Great Backyard Bird Count organized in part by the National Audubon Society.

 

"Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the four-day event and report their sightings online at birdcount.org. Anyone can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, from beginning bird watchers to experts, and you can participate from your backyard, or anywhere in the world." -National Audubon Society

From February 14 through 17, anyone can count the birds they see wherever they are and enter their results online. These reports will create a real-time picture of where birds are in Wyoming and across the continent. The reports also help scientists learn more about how birds are doing, and how to protect them.

The Audubon Society said that in 2019 more than 160,000 participants submitted their bird observations online, creating the largest instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations ever recorded.

If you're in Cheyenne you can also join members of the Cheyenne High Plains Audubon Society at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens on Saturday (February 15) starting at 10:00 AM to identify species that can be seen in Cheyenne. The event will run until noon. If you go, you're asked to bring binoculars and dress warmly. For those who don’t have binoculars, there will be some to borrow.

To be part of the count go to birdcount.org. You can also explore sightings maps, lists, and charts as the count progresses.

This website has a handy identification guide for Wyoming birds: Whatbird.com.

It's free to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. The event is led by the National Audubon Society, the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada.

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