Community Science

The Great Backyard Bird Count

Join the fun! Take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count!

Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a free, fun, and easy event that takes place each year in February. It's a great chance for birdwatchers of all ages to enjoy birds and nature! To participate, all you need to do is 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 your sightings online at gbbc.birdcount.org.

Anyone can take part in the GBBC, from beginning bird watchers to experts, and you can participate from your backyard or anywhere in the world.

More than 160,000 people of all ages and walks of life worldwide join the GBBC each year to create an annual snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds. The results are reported online to Cornell University’s Laboratory of Ornithology and aid research on where bird species are spending the winter.

To learn how to participate and view past GBBC results, visit gbbc.birdcount.org.

The 2022 GBBC will be held Friday, February 18, through Monday, February 21. If you would like to participate in a guided Audubon Connecticut GBBC event, please see our events below.

February 19 - Great Backyard Bird Count at Grass Island Park in Greenwich

February 19Great Backyard Bird Count at Greenwich Audubon Center in Greenwich

February 19 - Great Backyard Bird Count at Miles Wildlife Sanctuary in Sharon

February 19 - Great Backyard Bird Count Hike at Bent of the River Audubon Center in Southbury

February 19 - Great Backyard Bird Count Walk at Boyd Woods Sanctuary hosted by Litchfield Hills Audubon Society

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