Birders from around the planet will be taking part in the Great Backyard Bird Count this weekend.
Matt Gasner is Conservation Planning Coordinator for Nature Conservancy of Canada. He notes this is a global event that runs from Friday through Monday.
The way it works is that at any time over the course of those four days, the public is invited to spend 15 minutes watching for birds. Gasner says this can be done from your favourite spot in nature or from the warmth of your own home. It can even be done while you are away on vacation. The task is then to record either the number of birds or the species of birds observed in those 15 minutes.
Gasner notes there are a few free applications for bird watchers to use for submitting their findings. They are:
Merlin Bird ID app
eBird Mobile app
eBird on a computer
"You will make a contribution to science through this community science effort," he says.
Gasner is quick to point out that the Great Backyard Bird Count is intended for not only experienced bird watchers but also novice ones. He says no matter your level of expertise in bird watching, the apps listed will help participants narrow down what they saw.
"And when you record that, you are making a contribution," he says. "And it is very helpful."
Gasner adds though it may seem like a small contribution, when you have many people doing it across a large scale, over the course of many years, it provides confidence in the trends being witnessed.
2025 marks the 28th year of the Great Backyard Bird Count. Gasner says when the public makes regular contributions to large monitoring efforts like this, it helps experts understand the trends in bird species populations. He notes if populations of species are changing in one location, it may help them put a finger on why that is happening.
"Oftentimes that's a result of our activities, say habitat change or changing climates," he explains.
According to Gasner, this global phenomenon is gaining in popularity. He notes that from their Great Backyard Bird Count in 2024, more than 7,500 species of birds were recorded across the world. Gasner says there are more than 11,000 species of birds known to man, which means well over half of them were spotted during last year's four-day event. More than half a million people participated around the world, representing over 200 countries.
"So, more and more people are getting aware and making contributions," he says. "It's a great activity, just get outside, observe, reconnect with nature, and make a good contribution."
Meanwhile, Gasner says another way to take part is to track the birds while driving. He says while out on the road, you could get a friend or family member to be watching for birds. Gasner says it is while driving that you might spot a Snowy Owl or Gyrfalcon, which tend to sit on hydro poles.
"Even in your regular daily task, if you have somebody observing, you can make some pretty cool observations and again make an important contribution to the longstanding data sets," he says.