Are you a backyard bird enthusiast? Do you love watching birds at your feeder?

Join NH Audubon this winter for the 39th annual Backyard Winter Bird Survey on February 14-15. This statewide effort invites participants to observe and report the birds visiting their backyards, helping us track winter bird populations and trends across New Hampshire.

How does it work?
It’s simple! Watch your backyard birds for as long as you’d like over the survey weekend, record the species you see, and submit your findings (see online form on our webpage). Whether you spend fifteen minutes or several hours, your observations make a difference.

Just in time for one of our favorite weekends, we’re also launching a brand-new Backyard Winter Bird Survey website. Explore never-before-seen trend analyses, get advice on how to attract winter birds to your feeders, and learn practical tips for helping your favorite feeder friends through the colder months. Curious why Eastern Bluebirds and American Robins are staying all winter? Want to browse a gallery of beautiful photos submitted by last year’s participants? Check it out at backyardwinterbirds.nhaudubon.org.

You will also find step-by-step instructions on how to participate, along with online data entry and photo submission. If you have participated by mail in the past, keep an eye out. You’ll be receiving a mailing by the end of January.

New to the survey or want a refresher?
Sign up for our fun, informative webinar on February 5 at 6:30 pm! NH Audubon’s Community Science Project Leader, Grace McCulloch, will walk through how to participate, showcase the incredible data the survey collects, and explain how it’s used to better understand New Hampshire’s winter birds. The sign up link can be found on the project homepage at backyardwinterbirds.nhaudubon.org. You do not need to join the webinar to participate in the Backyard Winter Bird Survey.

Why participate?
Last year, almost 2,000 bird enthusiasts joined us, contributing to exciting discoveries like record high counts of Carolina Wrens, Eastern Bluebirds, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. Thanks to dedicated participants, the survey has documented significant increases in species like Eastern Bluebirds, American Robins, and Red-breasted Woodpeckers over the last few decades. Long-term data is essential to understanding how our wildlife populations are doing, especially in a changing climate.

Thank you for helping us learn more about New Hampshire’s winter birds! We hope you enjoy counting your feathered visitors during the survey weekend and feel proud to be part of this community project.