Wake County residents are invited to take part in the 16th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), Feb. 15 through 18. Six Wake County parks are taking part in this national four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent.

Local participants helped count more than 322,000 birds, identifying 177 species in 2012.

Each year, participants report their results online to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

WAKE COUNTY GBBC EVENTS

For a detailed description of each event, visit www.wakegov.com/parks/events/Pages/GBBC.aspx.

Harris Lake County Park

2112 County Park Drive, New Hill

919-387-4342

* Feb. 15, 3:30 to 5 p.m. – Introduction to Bird Watching and GBBC

* Feb. 16, 2 to 5 p.m. – Birdapalooza

* Feb. 17, 2 to 3 p.m. – Waterfowl Hike Along the Shoreline

* Feb. 17, 5:30 to 7 p.m. – Evening Stroll Through the Park

* Public Bird Count Walks (Feb. 16, 17 and 18, 9 a.m.)

Lake Crabtree County Park

1400 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville

919-460-3390

* Feb. 16, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Feb. 17, noon to 5 p.m. – Bird Expo

* Feb. 18, 1-4 p.m. – Junior Birder Patch Program

* Public Bird Count Walks (Feb. 15, 16, 17 and 18, 8:30 a.m.)

American Tobacco Trail

1309 New Hill-Olive Chapel Road, Apex

919-387-2117

Feb. 16, 7:30 a.m. – Public Bird Count Walk

Crowder District Park

4709 Ten Road, Apex

919-662-2850

Feb. 15, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. – Winter Owl Prowl

Feb. 16, 9 to 10 a.m. – Breakfast with the Birds

Feb. 16, 10:30 a.m. to noon – On the Trail of Bluebirds

Feb. 17, 2:30 to 4 p.m. – Gardening for Birds and Other Wildlife

Feb. 17, 1 p.m. – Public Bird Count Walk

Historic Yates Mill County Park

4620 Lake Wheeler Drive, Raleigh

919-856-6675

Feb. 16, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. – Birds of the Night Hike

Feb. 17, 8:30 to 10 a.m. – Breakfast with the Birds

Feb. 18, 10 to 11 a.m. – A Side History: National Birds

Feb. 15, 1:30 p.m. – Public Bird Count Walk

Blue Jay Point County Park

3200 Pleasant Union Church Road, Raleigh

919-870-4330

Feb. 18, 10 to 11:30 a.m. – My Yard is Full of Birds

For more information or to locate the online checklist, visit the GBBC website, www.birdsource.org.