The Great Backyard Bird Count starts Friday and runs through Monday. It’s billed as a free, fun, and easy event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of bird populations. Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes on one or more days of the four-day event. Sarah Ruth, U of I Extension Program Coordinator says you will report your sightings online.

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. To learn more, visit https://gbbc.birdcount.org/