Birders of all skills and ages join forces to count as many birds as they can

CBC Docs | Posted: September 30, 2020 3:03 PM | Last Updated: October 6, 2020

The Great Backyard Bird Count has amateurs helping experts in the name of science

Media | Birders of all skills and ages join forces to count as many birds as they can: Rare Bird Alert:

Caption: For four days every year, people of all ages take part in the great backyard bird count, citizen science that is providing vital information on the state of bird populations. Paul Riss travels to Nova Scotia to meet some local birders who are taking part in this year's count. Watch Rare Bird Alert on CBC gem

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Every winter, people across North America grab their binoculars and checklists and head out to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count.

The event is a joint program organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon, with Birds Canada north of the border. It's an incredible opportunity for amateur birders to contribute to large-scale citizen science by providing a real-time snapshot of where birds are and how populations are doing year over year.

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Birder Paul Riss headed to Halifax to join locals who were out spotting species early in the morning, trudging through the snow or just watching them from the comfort of their own home. Anyone can sign up for the Great Backyard Bird Count and contribute to this huge endeavour, to help scientists understand bird migrations across North America. So grab your 'binos,' ID list, and get counting!

Watch Rare Bird Alert on CBC Docs POV.

Birders of all skills and ages join forces to count as many birds as they can

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