Whether you spy a majestic bald eagle or those ubiquitous little house sparrows, it all matters to the Great Backyard Bird Count.
The BC Bird Trail is encouraging everyone to take part in the great count from today (Friday) through Monday's Family Day.
You don't have to be a bird nerd to participate.
The BC Bird Trail suggests you can start with just 15 minutes looking out your kitchen window to see what birds are in your backyard.
And then go https://www.birdcount.org/
Every sighting contributes to critical data that helps scientists track bird populations, migration patterns, and the health of ecosystems across North America and beyond.
The Great Backyard Bird Count coinciding with the Family Day long weekend is the ideal opportunity to tout birdwatching, spending time in the outdoors and helping science as a free, beginner-and-family-friendly, self-paced activity you can do with just a smartphone and a notebook.
I don't know about any significant scientific contribution my 15 minutes of bird spotting would have.
At the bird feeder in my backyard in Kelowna all winter long we've been enjoying the comings, goings, feedings and flutterings of the aforementioned super-common house sparrows as well as house finches, song sparrows, dark-eyed juncos, Eurasian collared and mourning doves, California quail and black-capped chickadees.
If your first 15-minutes contribution from your own backyard gets you hooked, the BC Bird Trail suggests going to local park or birding trail to find, enjoy and record more feathered friends.
If you need inspiration, https://
BC Bird Trail also has an app and information on its website to help you identify the birds you see.
The Kelowna bird trail itinerary has 39 stops over three days.
Of course, you don't have to follow it step-by-step, you can pick and choose birdwatching spots and do just an hour or two here and there.
On the Kelowna trail, suggested locations include Rotary Marsh Park inside Waterfront Park, Maude-Roxby Wetlands Boardwalk, Mission Creek Regional Park and Robert Lake Regional Park.
Many birds have migrated south for the winter, but this season there's still the opportunity to see lots of birds from downy woodpeckers and great horned owls to various ducks and red-breasted nuthatches.
The BC Bird Trail is also using the timing of the Great Backyard Bird Count to remind people February is National Bird Feeding Month.
It's not too late to put out a winter bird feeder and enjoy the birds that show up.
Natural food supplies are scarce in the winter and various song birds appreciate the seeds offered not just for nutrition, but for the extra energy it provides to keep warm in the cold.
You can pick up a bag of seed mix that includes a good proportion of black oil sunflower seeds at any feed, hardware or dollar store.
And then just watch the sparrows, chickadees and juncos show up.
