20th Annual Backyard Bird Count Is Happening Feb. 17-20

ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — More waterfowl, kingfishers and Bohemian waxwings are some of the trends expected to be seen when the 20th annual Great Backyard Bird Count is held later this month.

The count spans four days Feb. 17-20, from Friday through Monday. Last year, more than 160,000 bird watchers from more than 100 countries contributed their observations.

The citizen science project was launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. It creates an annual snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds.

Anyone can join in for free. Participants register and enter data online (www.birdcount.org ). You simply tally the numbers and kinds of birds you see for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count.