Project Feeder Watch – Citizens’ Birdwatching Research

Get yourself involved with Project Feeder Watch to engage with the birds and wildlife right in your neighborhood. There is no reason to give up the joys of birdwatching when it is cold and wintery.

Project FeederWatch is survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, etc. in North America during the winter months. FeederWatchers count the birds they see at their feeders during the specified winter months and report their sightings to Project FeederWatch. The data from these many observers is very helpful for scientists who are tracking overall movements of winter bird populations. It is now possible to see some long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance for many species.

Time has shown that Project FeederWatch is a proven method for monitoring the distribution and abundance of winter bird populations. It is a simple and creative way for the everyday citizen to participate in genuine scientific research of value.

This partnership with Cornell University Ornithology Lab and Bird-Studies Canada, the National Wildlife Federation and Audubon Society has far reaching impact. The nominal registration fee covers materials, staff support, analysis of data and an annual report of results in professional publications. Project Feederwatch is a remarkable citizen response to a real research need, all for a fee of only $12 in the US and $35 in Canada.

So what do these birdwatcher actually do? It is barely more than watching birds that come to their bird feeders. Every bird watcher participant claims the site where they will be observing and counting birds. This minimizes duplication of efforts. Each time a birder counts and observes only the highest number of bird species are counted. That also reduces confusion.

When does this happen? For the past 13 years, Project FeederWatch has been running for 21 weeks starting with the second Saturday in November. So it ends in early April. February is the latest you can sign up to participate in each year’s count. Additional bird counts of interest and merit include the Christmas Count and the Great Backyard Birding Count.

The serious birdwatcher can use this program to really focus on improving bird identification skills. Actually, that is also true for the beginning birder. By observing often and up close you notice different traits and behaviors of birds. You count birds two days in a row every two weeks as a minimum. Many birdwatchers count once a week and report their data online.

Today there are more than 15,000 birdwatchers in the Project FeederWatch program, but it started out with just 500 members in Ontario in the mid-1970s. During the first year of its international scope there were 4000 birdwatchers reporting from Canada to Hawaii. The resources provided are ideal for teachers and bird lovers. Their identification materials and newsletters are exemplary.

You can become a proactive birdwatcher.Local bird counts are often fun and engaging. Learn to identify birds quickly with Donna Bessken’s BirdWatching ECourse. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

Tags: bird counts, bird feeders, bird identification, bird studies, bird watching, project feeder watch, project feederwatch, scientific bird counts, Sports, winter bird watching, winter recreation

This entry was posted on February 7, 2010 at February 7, 2010 and is filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.