Thousands on Lookout for Great Backyard Bird Count

This weekend, thousands of people in the United States and Canada participated in the eighth annual Great Backyard Bird Count. Volunteers count the birds in their own backyards and report their findings to the GBBC website.

Approximately one-third of the United States, 730 million acres of land, is held in trust by federal agencies. These lands are home to the most significant populations of wild birds. Volunteers are encouraged to visit local land trusts and report on their findings in these areas.

"A 'backyard' can be anywhere you happen to be, a schoolyard, a local park, the balcony of a high rise apartment, a wildlife refuge," said John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

The numbers and species of birds in North America are in constant flux.