Great Backyard Bird Count set

Local birders are looking forward to this year's Great Backyard Bird Count, which begins Feb. 13 and runs through Feb. 16.

Last year, more than 4 million birds were counted across the United States. This year, the event promises to be just as big, as families, individuals and community groups keep track of the birds they see in the feeders over the four days. There are several participating birders in the Mat-Su Valley.

The Great Backyard Bird Count -- done by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audobon -- is in its seventh year. Participation is easy organizers said, as people just have to keep track of the birds they see on any or all of the count days, and then log their sighting into the BirdSource database at www.birdsource.org/gbbc.

"The near-instant availability of results allows participants to see quickly how their reports contribute to the continentwide perspective," said John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "It's extremely satisfying to see that your observation is significant.

"These individual observations are critical to building a broadscale database of North American bird populations," Fitzpatrick said.

People only have to record the birds they see come to their feeders, making it easy to participate.

Instructions for participating can be found at www.birdsource.org/gbbc. There's no fee or registration.

Last year more than 50,000 checklists were submitted by watchers, which totaled more than 4 million birds of 512 species.

The results from the bird counting event are used by experts to study environmental impacts and trends, from meteorological events such as fierce winter to the spread of the West Nile virus.

"The Great Backyard Bird Count has become an important means of gathering data to help birds, but it can't happen unless people take part. Whether you're a novice or an expert, we need you to help us help birds," said Frank Gill, Audobon's director of science.