For the past two weeks, I’ve written about surprise winter bird sightings such as the catbirds, hermit thrushes, yellow-bellied sapsuckers and purple finches I’ve seen on my recent walks.

It could be shaping up to be an interesting Great Backyard Bird Count this year with all these birds that typically migrate out of New England still hanging around. Who knows what other surprises will show up on the checklists of birders throughout the region, and the world for that matter?

The 27^th annual Great Backyard Bird Count takes place from Friday, Feb. 16 through Monday, Feb. 19. Birders of all skill levels may participate in the Count. Simply count birds – alone or with a group – for at least 15 minutes and enter the birds able to be identified and the location at the GBBC website www.birdcount.org. While the results must be submitted online, the birding itself can take place anywhere: a park, backyard, conservation area.

The GBBC is a project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society and Birds Canada. Wild Birds Unlimited is the founding sponsor. The citizen science project has grown from rather humble beginnings in North America to a worldwide event. Last year, half a million people participated and reported more than 7,500 species of birds from more than 200 countries.

“We would not be able to track the long-term changes in bird populations without the eyes and ears of all our enthusiastic participants,” David Bonter of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said in a press release. “The world is changing fast, and birds often reflect the impact of environmental change first.”

Bird Canada officials are expecting the unexpected this year due to warmer weather and more fierce storms. Just as I have reported seeing birds not usually seen in New England during the winter, many other birds have been reported across the U.S. out of their normal range.

“Strong El Niño conditions this year could bring surprises to the 2024 Great Backyard Bird Count,” Patrick Nadeau, President and CEO of Birds Canada, said in a release. “Temperatures are likely to be warmer which could have an effect on the timing of spring migration and influence food availability. There may be more sightings of unusual visitors wherever you’re looking for birds.”

In addition, New Hampshire Audubon will hold its annual Backyard Winter Bird Survey on Saturday, Feb. 10 and Sunday, Feb. 11. The aim of the survey is similar to that of the GBBC: to get an idea of winter bird population trends.

As always, let me know if you participate and if you have any unusual sightings. If the recent emails I have received are any indication, there should be some interesting sightings on these counts.

Pat from Sandwich wrote to say an eastern towhee, as well as a pair of Carolina wrens, has been visiting this winter. Towhees, similar to catbirds and hermit thrushes, typically migrate south during the winter, but a few individuals may try to stick out the New England winter.

Lenny from Greenfield had a yellow-bellied sapsucker pay a visit, along with a northern flicker, red-bellied woodpecker and some purple finches.

Norma from Spofford has a group of eastern bluebirds visiting her feeder for mealworms. She also has a lone redpoll visiting.

As I mentioned before, it should be an interesting month for birdwatchers.