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Dedicated to the conservation of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Morris County, NJ

Great Backyard Bird Count

Photo: Chuck Hantis

February 14 – 16, 2020, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm every day at the Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center

Join us for three days of birding fun. Help volunteers count the birds at the feeders from inside the Visitor Center. Daily bird counts will be reported to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to aid in citizen-science research on bird populations and distribution. Can’t tell a house finch from a goldfinch? No problem. Our volunteers will teach you how to identify the common feeder birds.

There will also be some fun bird-related activities for kids and adults. Make a suet bird feeder to take home, play bird bingo for a prize, paint your own tree cookie ornament, try your skills at our (indoor) Birding “Find It” game.

Great Backyard Bird Count Schedule

Every Day – Indoors

  • 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Count the birds! Volunteers will be on hand to help identify and count the species. It’s fun and easy!
  • Bird Bingo for kids – play our game and win a prize!
  • Make a pine cone bird feeder to take home.
  • What’s Your Bird Name?
  • Paint your own tree cookie ornament.
  • Birding “Find It” game.


Special Events for Saturday, February 15

1:00 – 2:00 pm: Learn to identify common winter birds. Indoor presentation by naturalist Dorothy Smullen.

2:00 – 3:30 pm: Guided bird walk along Pleasant Plains Road to count the birds. Bring binoculars or borrow ours. Dress warmly.

This event is free and registration is not required. Join us!

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an international citizen science event launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. Now more than 160,000 people of all ages from around the world join the count each February to create an annual snapshot of bird distribution and abundance worldwide. This data is critical in wild bird research to find ways to protect these wild creatures for future generations.

Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center

32 Pleasant Plains Road, Harding Township, NJ

973-425-9510