Get ready for the Great Backyard Bird Count

I love birds because they’re beautiful, and because their singing, flying, baby-rearing and antics bring me joy all year long, even in the dead of winter. I love them because they’re essential to the natural system, keeping pesky insects and rodents in check and dispersing seeds that grow new trees and wildflowers.

I suspect that countless other people feel the same way. That’s why bird lovers in Georgia — including me — will be joining tens of thousands of other bird enthusiasts around the world next weekend to participate in the 2023 Great Backyard Bird Count. It begins next Friday and runs through Monday, Feb. 20.

Besides helping the birds, it’s also a chance for everyone to be a citizen-scientist.

Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the annual GBBC is billed as the first online citizen-science project that asks amateur and professional ornithologists alike to report bird sightings to a massive online database.

Since its beginning, the GBBC has expanded into a worldwide event.

More than 6,000 Georgians across the state took part last year and tallied 202 species — 10th-highest in the nation — during the four days.

Anyone can participate — young and old, beginner and veteran birders. You can do it from your backyard, neighborhood park, schoolyard or anywhere else where birds are present.

To participate, just spend at least 15 minutes during those four days counting the birds that you see or hear. You can do it by yourself or with a group.

Then, go to the website birdcount.org/participate/ to report your results via smartphone or computer. The website also provides helpful hints on bird identification and other information. Several Georgia cities, nature centers, state

parks and other places will host special activities in connection with the count.

GBBC data helps scientists determine the status of birds around the world, such as birds’ locations, populations and movements and whether they’re increasing, declining or holding steady.

In the sky

From David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer: The moon will be last quarter on Monday. Mercury is low in the east just before dawn. Venus is very low in the west around dusk. Mars is high in the south at dark. Jupiter is in the southwest at sunset and sets about three hours later.

COURTESY OF CHARLES SEABROOK The northern cardinal, like the male shown here, will be one of the most common birds seen in Georgia during the upcoming Great Backyard Bird Count, which will begin next Friday.

Wild Georgia Charles Seabrook