Have you ever felt lost at sea, like you’re clutching onto a tiny life raft, struggling to stay afloat? Looking at the news on any given day magnifies the feeling by 1000. It’s overwhelming to say the least. What I do to make it through is to step outside, or often, LOOK OUTSIDE and focus on the birds. During winter so I can see so many different kinds in the “Enchanted Forest” where I live to grab sunflower seeds, mealworms, bites of suet, or peanuts that I offer in one of the many feeders I have just outside of my windows. (Did you know the best placement for bird feeders in order to minimize fatal window strikes is within three feet of windows, or greater than 30 feet away?) These days I eat all of my meals in the sunroom at the back of the house, watching “BIRD TV.” Maybe you have this at your house? It’s free! And never needs a subscription, electricity, has commercials you have to suffer through, or requires a remote control, password, or fancy equipment.
Just look out of your windows and see what you see!
Adding a feeder or two, and a bird bath (In winter you can add a simple bird bath heater so the water won’t freeze.) will increase the diversity and number of birds you might see. Leave your phone in another room, and immerse yourself in BIRD TV… I bet you’ll agree with me that it is way more uplifting, entertaining, restorative, and relaxing than regular tv.
Hey speaking of birds, do you want to help scientists all around the world and participate in a global project that you can do from the comfort of your own house, or your favorite park or wild area? From Friday, February 13th through Monday, February 16th you can join in this community science initiative. According to BirdCount.org, “Each February, for four days, the world comes together for the love of birds. Over these four days we invite people to spend time in their favorite places watching and counting as many birds as they can find and reporting them to us. These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations.”
Bird Count.org says, “The Great Backyard Bird Count is an inter-organizational effort between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada. We work together to bring the joys of birdwatching to our members.”
Participating is fun and easy and requires no special equipment, although binoculars do come in handy. You can participate alone, or with friends and family. Best of all, it can be done anywhere, so even if you’re traveling during those dates, you can still join in.
As per Bird Count.org’s website:
Step 1: Decide where you will watch birds.
Step 2: Watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days, February 13–16, 2026.
Step 3: Identify all the birds you see or hear within your planned time/location and use the best tool for sharing your bird sightings:
- If you are a beginning bird admirer and new to bird identification, try using the Merlin Bird ID app to tell us what birds you are seeing or hearing.
- If you have participated in the count before and want to record numbers of birds, try the eBird Mobile app or enter your bird list on the eBird website (desktop/laptop).
If you already use Merlin or eBird, all entries over the 4 days count towards GBBC. Keep doing what you are doing!
There is no need to register or sign-up separately for GBBC.
If you want more information you can register for a free webinar about participating in this event. It’s on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. CT / 5:00 p.m. MT / 4:00 p.m. PT. Here’s the link to register.
I watch BIRD TV every single day, many times per day and I bet many of you do as well, even if you’ve never called it that. Why not watch the birds and help scientists out at the same time? For me, it’s an easy decision. I hope you’ll join me, and the world, and participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count next weekend. Happy bird watching!!
