Thousands of people across the world participated in this year’s Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), February 13-16, 2026. A total of 72 bird species were reported in Delaware county, reflecting great effort from birders surveying favorite hotspots with various habitats to look for waterfowl, gulls, raptors, owls, and winter songbirds. Notable GBBC finds include: Greater Scaup, Gray Catbird, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Purple Finch, Peregrine Falcon, Savannah Sparrow, and a rare Rough-legged Hawk that was found on Hog Island Road behind the Philadelphia Airport on February 6 and seen through February 16 by multiple observers, making it onto the Delaware County GBBC list.
The GBBC is a phenomenal community science initiative engaging birders from than 200 countries over four days each February. Participation grows every year – a half-million birdwatchers submitted about 380,000 eBird checklists this year. More than 8,200 avian species – three-quarters of all known birds in the world – were documented during the GBBC timeframe. Individuals, clubs, schools and community groups flock to the GBBC as a means to discover, learn, and connect over birds.
Participants use eBird or Merlin to count birds in their backyard, favorite park, national wildlife refuge, or anywhere. Birds are everywhere, and everyone can count them, spending as little as 15 minutes to watch and report sightings. The GBBC website hosts a world map with live-time submissions.
The Birding Club of Delaware County (BCDC) joins birders across the globe for the Great Backyard Bird Count. Whether you count one bird or hundreds, participating is easy and fun for all ages. Check-out the cumulative county species list below.
Pennsylvania tallied 142 species for the 2026 GBBC, with more than 10,200 complete eBird checklists. Delco birder Bob Suter was the highest ebirder in the state, reporting 75 species from multiple counties. The southeast region led in the number of species, championing strong community-science efforts. (GBBC stats reflect eBird data through 3/11/26, 9:45 am; results subject to change with future submissions).
- Chester (100)
- Lancaster (99)
- Montgomery (99)
- Berks (93)
- Bucks (93)
- Philadelphia (92)
- Allegheny (91)
- Northampton (91)
- York (91)
- Cumberland (89)
20. Delaware (72)
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), counting birds for conservation and community!
GBBC beginnings: Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) was the first online community-science project to collect data about wild birds and display results in near real time. Birds Canada joined in 2009 to support participation in Canada. In 2013, the GBBC went global when they integrated eBird, the world’s largest wildlife database dedicated solely to birds. Participation has soared ever since, involving hundreds of thousands of people from 200 countries. The Great Backyard Bird Count brings the world together to watch, learn about, count, and celebrate birds!