• Count for at least 15 mins. but you can count for as long as you’d like – just be sure to record how long you counted. 
• If you’re watching your backyard and you see three Cardinals, then five Cardinals, then two Cardinals, you would report them as five Cardinals, not ten.
• Recording your Count – make a separate count sheet for each day that you count. You need a separate count sheet for each location that you count (even if it’s the same day). You can submit multiple count sheets on the same day from the same location if the two counts were at different times. For instance, early morning and late afternoon.
•  After you’ve finished counting and ready to turn in your results, go to the Great Backyard Bird Count website at BirdCount.org and click “Submit Observations” on the homepage.
• If this is your first time participating, you’ll need to create a free GBBC account and follow directions to record your count.
• Below is a link for a complete and printable check list for counting.  

http://gbbc.birdcount.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2016Updates_English_DownloadableInstructions.pdf