Today kicks off the Great Backyard Bird Count! Several N.C. Environmental Education Centers will participate in this event today through Monday. Go to our EE Events page to see a listing of GBBC and bird-related events in honor of the GBBC. No programs listed nearby? Find your nearest EE Center and give them a call—they may have programs that have not been listed, and several have regular birding programs or bird watching clubs that are happy to have guests. 
What is the Great Backyard Bird Count? This project, coordinated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon, “is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent.” Don’t think you have enough time? You can participate just by watching birds for 15 minutes! GBBC welcomes everyone, from beginners to expert birdwatchers and scientists to participate. You can join in the count at any EE Center, park or other green space, and of course, your own back yard. Go to the GBBC Web site to find out how.
(Did you know that bird and wildlife watching has a major economic impact in North Carolina? A 2006 study showed that wildlife watchers spent more than $900 million in N.C.! See the research at the N.C. Birding Trail site.)
Pine Warbler Photo by Mike Dunn, N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences
Good luck on the count this year.
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