Great Backyard Bird Count underway

The 12th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count gets underway today and runs through Monday, and your participation can help North Carolina become the top bird-counting state in the nation. Last year North Carolina -- with more than 4,500 checklists submitted -- came in second, surpassed only by New York, while Charlotte submitted more checklists than any other U.S. city. For more details about the project, a joint effort of the of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, click here.

(Photo from 2008 Great Backyard Bird Count by Bill Harrison of Georgia. For more photos of last year's event, visit the project's gallery of photo winners and finalists.)