Join the Big Bird Count!

9 February 2026

Good Afternoon,

I bet you didn’t expect to hear from me today. Geemeff reminded me that the Big Bird Count starts this coming Friday and I wanted everyone to be ready to do a count of the birds in their gardens. It adds to our knowledge of how our avian friends are doing – and where they are being challenged and where not.

Friday the 13th – make it a lucky day through the 16th. Please take part. Information below on the history and reason and the link to join in.

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), organised by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada, is an annual four-day event in February where volunteers worldwide count birds to track population trends. The 2025 event runs from February 14–17 and requires participants to count birds for at least 15 minutes.

Key Details for the Cornell/Audubon GBBC:

When: Annually, usually over President’s Day weekend in February (Feb 14-17, 2025).

How to Participate: Count birds anywhere for at least 15 minutes, once or multiple times, and report them via the eBird website or the Merlin Bird ID app.

Purpose: The data helps scientists understand global bird population changes and health.

Global Reach: In 2024, over 640,000 participants from over 200 countries identified 7,920 species.

Accessibility: Open to everyone, from beginners to experts.

Key Data & Findings:
The project, launched in 1998, was the first online, citizen-science project for collecting bird data.
It is a major source of data for understanding bird population declines, such as the loss of 3 billion birds, including common species like sparrows and juncos.

In 2025, the event recorded 8,078 species.

For more information, visit the official site at birdcount.org.

A four year old Golden Eagle has been found shot at the Scottish Borders.

‘MP’ sent me a note. It seems that Jack and Jill are trying to repair their own osprey platform at the Achieva Credit Union in St Petersburg, Florida. It has been the site of much sadness due to eggs and healthy chicks falling through holes in the platform in the past. Jack has been bringing in large pieces of bark. Brilliant idea. He needs something to hold them down as the wind blew off one of the first attempts. We wish him and his new lady well this season if there are eggs.

Thanks for dropping by. Please take part in the count!

Thank you to MP for their note, to the author of Raptor Persecution UK who keeps us informed of the dispicable acts to the raptors taking place, and to the owners of the streaming cams, like the Achieva Credit Union, that allow us to observe our beautiful birds.