Bird watchers needed for The Great Backyard Bird Count

The Great Backyard Bird Count attracts more than one million people nationwide to help record the bird population.

northern cardinal

This bright red beauty is the state bird of NC.

Photo by Dominic Sherony

Charge your phones and grab your binoculars, Asheville. The annual Great Backyard Bird Count takes flight on Friday, Feb. 13, and runs through Monday, Feb. 16. The community event invites nature lovers and bird enthusiasts from around the world to go outside, watch, count, and celebrate birds.

Anyone can participate — all you have to do is go outside and observe for as little as 15 minutes. Count all of the birds you see or hear using one of the following tools:

The information will help experts study bird habitats, migration patterns, and global bird populations.

Don’t know where to start? Check out this list of common birds in our area + start in your backyard or any of these parks around the Land of the Sky. Bonus: Avian enthusiasts should head to the NC Arboretum on Saturday, Feb. 14 for Bird Day.

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