This weekend, people all over the world have their eyes to the sky for the 26th annual Great Backyard Bird Count.

Participants can record the birds they see on a notepad and then submit the form online, or they can digitally record their encounters on the eBird app.

RJ Dudragne, the conservation science coordinator at the Nature Conservancy of Canada, says the event is one of the largest community science projects in the world.  He says right now is the most optimal time to monitor bird populations.

The data is used to monitor global bird populations at a time where the fall migrations are over, and birds are not yet migrating for spring. It helps determine if factors like habitat loss are causing a decline.

Last year, over 384,000 people from 192 countries took part, and Canada had the third highest number of bird observation checklists submitted.