For bird aficionados and bird watchers alike, the highly anticipated 2014 Great Backyard Bird Count has already started. This citizen science project is a great way for people to get involved in monitoring bird populations from around the world.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Bird Studies Canada and the National Audubon Society sponsored the event. This is the second time the event has been held and anyone can get in on the fun. If you're interesting, you can spend at least 15 minutes to count birds in nearby areas. Once you have gathered your data, you can simply upload your findings to the Great Backyard Bird Count official site. 

"People who care about birds can change the world," said Gary Langham, the chief scientist of the National Audubon Society. "Technology has made it possible for people everywhere to unite around a shared love of birds and a commitment to protecting them."

Last year, the 2013 Great Backyard Bird Count was a resounding success. Volunteers from all over the world were able to gather data on 3,610 species of birds. All in all, the participants were able to document over 34.5 million birds. The data was gathered from 111 countries spanning all seven continents. 

"This is a milestone for citizen science in so many respects-number of species, diversity of countries involved, total participants, and number of individual birds recorded. We hope this is just the start of something far larger, engaging the whole world in creating a detailed annual snapshot of how all our planet's birds are faring as the years go by," Dr. John Fitzpatrick, a lab director from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 

The data gathered from the 2014 Great Backyard Bird Count will be used for a wide variety of purposes. From monitoring the populations of specific species to identifying areas that certain birds favor, scientists will be able to use the data gathered by volunteers to advance knowledge in different fields like ornithology and ecology.

"Canadian participation in the Great Backyard Bird Count has increased tremendously in recent years, and it's wonderful to see this program growing globally," said Dr. George Finney, president of Bird Studies Canada. "The count is introducing unprecedented numbers of people to the exciting field of bird watching."

Signing up for the Great Backyard Bird Count is both easy and free. The bird count started on Feb. 14 and will continue until Feb. 17.