Residents encouraged to participate in global 25th annual Great Backyard Bird Count

To help beat the winter blues, Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) staff is encouraging Saskatchewan residents to participate in one of the world’s largest community science projects this upcoming long weekend. 

All they need to do is go outside for 15 minutes, listen for cheeps and caws, and watch for birds in their yards, subdivisions, nature reserves or local parks. 

Even if you’re not a bird expert, you can wing it this weekend! 

The 25th annual Great Backyard Bird Count runs from February 18-21. When participants document their findings through the eBird app, they’re contributing vital information that helps experts track the health of bird populations in Saskatchewan as well. 

Sarah Ludlow in Saskatchewan is a huge birding enthusiast and will be participating this weekend. 

People can use the free Merlin app to identify what they see and hear. 

The Big Backyard Bird Count is run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society and Birds Canada. You can learn more about the event at https://www.birdcount.org/participate/ . 

Last year, over 300,000 people in 190 different countries participated. In Canada, there were over 43,465 lists of birds submitted across all 10 provinces and 3 territories.

Bird populations in Canada are in flux. On the one hand, waterfowl and birds of prey appear to be growing in number, more than doubling their populations since 1970. On the other hand, shorebirds and aerial insectivores like swallows appear to be disappearing at alarming rates. NCC’s land conservation work protects critical habitat for these species in Saskatchewan.