The activity of filling feeders and watching birds will take on a scientific meaning through Monday, as thousands of people across the country will count and report birds for the 16th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count.

Sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon, the event seeks birdwatchers – experienced and novices – of all ages to report their findings. St. Charles resident Jerry Hope, a member of Kane County Audubon, will be one of the backyard bird counters.

“I would say this is a premier citizen scientist activity because the collection of data is used to measure bird population shifts,” Hope said. “It gives a lot of data from all over, across the whole nation, and you can measure a trend.”