The Great Backyard Bird Count begins Friday

Putnam County residents are invited to count wild birds, like this cardinal visiting a backyard north of Greencastle, during the Great Backyard Bird Count Feb.14-17. Banner Graphic/ERIC BERNSEE

The 2014 Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) will begin Friday, Feb.14 and continue through Monday, Feb.17, the Big Walnut Bird Club has announced.

Putnam County residents are invited to participate in the GBBC, an annual four-day event sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society.

It engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are.

The process involves counting birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the GBBC.

Participants need to count birds in as many places and on as many days as they like, from one day to four days. However, a separate list should be submitted for each new day.

Anyone interested in participating, is urged to go to www.birdsource.org/gbbc/howto.html for detailed information on how to take part.