You can help bird populations around the world.

Go out into your backyard and count them this weekend. The Great Backyard Bird Count goes on from Feb. 14 to Feb.17, 2014. Song birds populations around the world are on an rapid decline. The only way that scientists can figure out what is happening in different parts of the U.S.A. and the world is to get average citizens to go out and take data and send it into scientific labs. Go out into your yard or neighborhood this weekend and be a citizen scientist. Sent your information back to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, NY.

Count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the Great Backyard Bird Count- GBBC. You can count for longer than that if you wish! Count birds in as many places and on as many days as you like—one day, two days, or all four days. Submit a separate checklist for each new day, for each new location, or for the same location if you counted at a different time of day. Estimate the number of individuals of each species you saw during your count period; Robins, Sparrows, Jays, etc.

Then go to- Great Backyard Bird Count - and learn how to send in your information to the lab. This site has lots of great information on it.

Also think about attending the Burien Birdfest on Feb. 15, 2014 at the Dottie Harper Building, 11am to 3pm.

Sponsored by Sustainable Burien.