For a quarter of a century the annual Great Backyard Bird Count has been a bright spot for nature lovers. Chickadees, cardinals, warblers, and other birds have done their part to help lift human spirits and bring people together from across the globe to share a love of birds and nature.

Join the 25th annual Great Backyard Bird Count on Saturday, February 19 at Pebble Hill Plantation and share the joys of bird watching with your family! This worldwide event is a great opportunity for all budding birdwatchers and bird-count veterans to use their skills. People from around the world count the birds they see for at least 15 minutes and then enter their checklists online. Each checklist submitted during the Great Backyard Bird Count helps researchers at the National Audubon Society, Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada learn more about how birds are doing and how to protect them and the environment we share.

The annual worldwide four-day event will take place February 18-21. Saturday, February 19, the Pebble Hill Learning Center staff will be available from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. to offer bird watching tips and assistance with entering the collected data to birdcount.org. Binoculars and birding field guides can be checked out at the Pebble Hill Visitors’ Center for participants to use while viewing birds on Pebble Hill’s main grounds. *Grounds admission fees are required: Adults – $5.50; Children (2-12 years) – $2; Under 2 years – free.

During the 2021 count, birdwatchers across the globe set new records for the event with an estimated 300,000 people submitting checklists reporting 6,436 species of birds. Data gathered by the Great Backyard Bird Count and other survey projects highlight changes in the numbers and distribution of wild birds over time, creating the largest instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations ever recorded.

“By participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count, community scientists contribute data that we use to protect birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow,” said Chad Wilsey, Ph.D., chief scientist at National Audubon Society. “In return, studies tell us that pausing to observe birds, their sounds and movements, improve human health. Participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count is a win-win for birds and people.”

All participants are urged to watch birds safely as they begin or continue their own birding journey. That means following COVID protocols for your area, not gathering in large groups, and wearing masks if you’re unable to remain at least six feet apart from others.

To learn more about how to take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, visit www.birdcount.org. The Great Backyard Bird Count is a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society and Birds Canada and is made possible in part by founding sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited.

Pebble Hill Plantation is a historic home with a history dating back to the early 1800s. The plantation was established by one of Thomas County’s founders, Thomas Jefferson Johnson. At the turn of the 20th century, the Hanna family of Cleveland, Ohio purchased the property and enjoyed it as winter home and sporting estate. Pebble Hill has been open for tours since October 1983 due to the generosity of its last owner, Elisabeth “Pansy” Ireland Poe, who willed that her property be opened to the public. 

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Pebble Hill offers visitors the chance to learn the rich history of this historic site and the people who once lived and worked here. For more information, visit the Pebble Hill website www.pebblehill.com, call (229) 226-2344, or visit Pebble Hill on Facebook and Instagram using @pebblehillplantation.