For those of us enamoured with birds, it’s that time of year again to get out our counting checklists and take part in the ‘citizen’s census of the birds’.

The 15th annual Great Backyard Bird Count takes place this February 17 – 20. Simply mark down the species and numbers of each that you see in your own area on one or more days of the four-day event. Then report your findings at www.birdcount.org.

The cumulative effect of thousands of submissions is a ‘bird’s eye view’ of the location and number of birds across the continent. Bird watchers everywhere can help scientists compile a comprehensive picture of populations and distributions of bird species that they could not otherwise capture in so short a time.

As each year passes, large scale monitoring of bird populations gives us an idea of the overall health of our planet, since bird declines are indicative of very serious problems environmentally. In the long run, the bird count is not just for the birds. So mark the date, artists and bird enthusiasts alike, and aim to participate in this year’s count. Maybe there will be time to get in a quick sketch or two! And hopefully we can help to ensure that birds are there to enjoy, study and paint for years to come.