The Great Backyard Bird Count returns for its ninth season February 17-20, 2006. The National Audubon Society and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology encourage everyone to COUNT BIRDS WITH A BUDDY! Bird enthusiasts of all ages can share their love of birds with a friend, a child, a
scout troop, a class or a co-worker -- opening new eyes to the joy of birding and fun of creating a unique snapshot of winter bird abundance and distribution across the continent.

Every pair of eyes is needed and every bird counts, whether in a backyard, on a high-rise balcony, in a park or on any of the 730 million acres of public lands.

Anyone with Internet access can see the results in maps and charts as the sightings pour in. In 2005, participants sent in more than 52,000 checklists with a record-breaking 613 species
and more than 6 million birds counted!

In 2006, for the first time, the Lab of Ornithology and Audubon are launching an element of friendly competition. Awards will be given to localities that submit the most checklists, record the greatest number species or count the highest number of birds. Photos are also encouraged.

Everyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to seasoned experts. During the count bird watchers tally up birds for as little as 15 minutes or for as long as they like, keeping track of the highest number of each bird species they see together at one time.

Participants enter their numbers online at http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc. This is the site to visit for details on exactly how to participate.

We hope that you will share this information with others and get as many participants as possible. This would be a great project for a scout troop or classroom.

It's helpful to have a bird feeder out as soon as possible in advance of the event, so you will have an opportunity to identify ahead of time the birds that you will likely see during the count.