Attention all bird enthusiasts! The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is just around the corner.
What’s GBBC?
An annual citizen science event that takes place over a four-day period in February. Participants document the number of birds they see in their backyard or local park, and then report their observations online using the eBird app. This data is used by scientists to track the health and distribution of bird populations.
What happens during GBBC?
In India, GBBC has been celebrated since 2013 by birdwatchers, naturalists and nature clubs who use the opportunity to conduct bird walks and bird-related events across the country. GBBC is a chance to celebrate our birds and spread the joy of birdwatching among the general public! Learn more about it here.
India also has the Campus Bird Count which is a sub-event of the larger Great Backyard Bird Count. It is a coordinated effort to document the birdlife in multiple campuses across India. Learn more about it here.
Can children participate?
Certainly! We are also organising a fun and insightful walk for children at the Yelahanka Puttanahalli Lake in Bengaluru. Click on the image below for more details or follow this link.
🙋🏽♀ Who Can Attend: Children between the ages of 10 to 13
🗓 When: Sunday, 18 February 2024 | 7:30 am
⏱ Duration: 2 hours
📍 Where: Yelahanka Puttanahalli Lake, Bengaluru
We strive to make these walks inclusive. Please message us or write to earlybird@ncf-india.org to discuss any special needs you may have.
If you wish to join a public bird walk near you, check out this blog post. It showcases bird walks that are happening during the Great Backyard Bird Count and the Campus Bird Count across the country.
Would you like to conduct a bird walk?
If you are an educator, do consider conducting a birding event for the children you interact with. You can conduct creative/art activities in the classroom (you can find a number of ideas in our educators’ handbook), or have a bird walk within your campus or at a nearby lake or park.
Watch this video for tips and tricks of conducting a bird walk.
We have a number of educational materials in multiple regional languages that you can use in these walks. While our flashcards help spark an interest in young children, the pocket guides are useful for older children and adults who are looking for a handy identification aid while on a bird walk.
Our posters (print and interactive), games and creative activities (freely downloadable from our website) are available in multiple languages, and have made it easy for nature educators to engage their audiences across age groups. We have also compiled a list of nature education resources in a blog post.
Share your GBBC stories with us on social media by tagging us — @earlybirdindia (Instagram, Facebook and YouTube) and @earlybirdncf (on X/Twitter). You can also join our announcements group on WhatsApp to stay updated. All social links are given below!