Mourning doves should be one of the easiest birds to see during the global Great Backyard Bird Count event, set for Friday through Monday, Feb. 17.

The 28th-annual Great Backyard Bird Count is set to begin Friday and extend through Monday, Feb. 17.

It’s easy to participate in this count, as it can be done by watching from a window in the warm comfort of home if you so choose. Unlike the Christmas Bird Count, numbers and species seen don’t have to be relayed through a coordinator.

The event simply asks that participants spend at least 15 minutes on one or more of those four days noting each bird species and numbers seen. That data then can be entered at https://www.birdcount.org/participate/.

Organizers also encourage those who enjoy photographing birds to share their best shots from the count.

If already using the Merlin or eBird mobile apps that aid in identification, all entries made over the four days count toward the GBBC, so there is no need to register or sign up separately, the birdcount.org website advises.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an inter-organizational effort between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society and Birds Canada.

The effort provides a snapshot avian census of sorts that when “combined with other bird counts, GBBC results help create a clearer picture of how birds are faring — whether individual species are declining, increasing, or holding steady in the face of habitat loss, climate change, and other threats,” according to an Audubon news release.

This is a great and easy way to play “citizen scientist”; school classes in particular are encouraged to join in the effort. All, from beginning bird watchers to experts, are welcome to participate.

“Joining your community to count birds means that we can track the long-term changes in bird populations … The world is changing fast, and birds often reflect the impact of environmental change first,” said David Bonter, co-director of the Center for Engagement in Science and Nature at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

More than a half-million people took part in the 2024 GBBC — double the number of participants in the past five years — and reported 7,920 species of birds from more than 200 countries and subregions.

“More and more we see how birds can bring communities closer all across the world. The more we enjoy birds together, the more likely it is that we take steps to protect them and the places they need,” said Brooke Bateman, senior director of Climate and Community Science at the National Audubon Society.

“This free annual event also acts as a stepping stone for people looking to contribute to our understanding of bird populations around the world,” said Jody Allair, director of communications at Birds Canada.

Locally, the pickings could be slim this year for the GBBC. It’s been a poor winter so far for most of the “irruptive” bird species, such as the winter finches and Bohemian waxwings.

But the region has had reports of northern owls — great grays, boreal and snowy — showing up in increasing numbers in recent weeks.

American goldfinch, too, seem to be a strong presence at the feeders this winter, as are tree sparrows foraging in the snow underneath.

And the count still welcomes recording the usual resident birds of winter: woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches, mourning doves, blue jays, crows and ravens, even the hawks and eagles.

For more information and details on how to be part of the effort, go to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Great Backyard Bird Count website at https://www.birdcount.org/ or the National Audubon Society website at https://www.audubon.org/conservation/about-great-backyard-bird-count.

GBBC experts also will detail “tips, tricks and ideas” for participating in the count in a one-hour webinar on YouTube that starts at 3 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday. “Discover how to join a group taking part in the GBBC and explore fun ways to engage children,” the webinar link advises. The www.birdcount.org site has a link for registering and submitting questions for the session. Closed captioning will be provided.

To those participating, may the GBBC weekend bring many birds into view.

Betsy Bloom can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 85240, or bbloom@ironmountaindailynews.com.