Join this weekend's Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Blitz

Put your bird-watching skills while doing a good deed. By participating in the Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Blitz, you will help create a snapshot of the state's bird population at a time when it ordinarily isn't counted—in the summertime.

The Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Blitz—or PAB3 as its sponsor calls it—runs from Friday, June 27, through Monday, June 30. The project is organized by the Pennsylvania Society of Ornithology.

PAB3 is similar to the Great Backyard Bird Count but it's not limited to backyard birds. All birds will be counted. The data from the Breeding Bird Blitz will help keep up with changes in bird distribution since a similar project was undertaken in 2009. "There are potentially many discoveries to be made because the breeding bird populations are constantly changing," the website eBird said.

Data from PAB3 also will benefit the Audubon Society's bird conservation programs.

To participate, all you have to do is count birds on one or more of the target days. Then e-mail your list to breedingbirdblitz@gmail.com.

You can follow daily updates on the individual counts in three different ways:

• On the PA Birds listserv at birding.aba.org.maillist/PA01
• On the Nemesis Bird blog at www.nemesisbird.com
• On the Facebook pages of PA Birders or the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology.

You may even win a prize for your participation. Prizes for the most records include:

June 27—A gift membership in the Pennsylvania Society of Ornithology for yourself or a friend. This includes four issues of the society's journal "Pennsylvania Birds."
June 28—A free copy of the "Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Pennsylvania."
June 29—A $25 gift certificate to the Lost Creek Shoe Shop in Mifflintown, plus a Leica hat.
June 30—A signed copy of "Birds of Central Pennsylvania."

For details on the Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Blitz, including developing your own birding checklist, visit the Pennsylvania e-Bird news article on the PAB3.