Project FeederWatch
You’re not the only one interested in your garden’s bird feeders and its visitors. Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada want to know how many birds are at your feeders. In a few days, thousands of backyard birders across North Carolina (and the rest of the United States and Canada) will become “citizen scientists.” You, too, can participate.
During Project FeederWatch, you count the types and numbers of birds at your feeders for two consecutive days during the period of Nov. 8 to April 3, then submit data online (preferred) or on paper. It doesn’t matter if you see only “common” birds like cardinals or doves. All the collected data is important. “Being a FeederWatcher is easy and fun and at the same time helps generate the world’s largest database on feeder-bird populations,” says project leader David Bonter. You can also submit photos and observe what your neighbors are reporting.
To learn more and to sign up, visit www.feederwatch.org, or call the Cornell Lab toll-free at (800) 843-2473. In return for a $15 fee, you’ll receive the FeederWatcher’s Handbook, a poster identifying the most common feeder birds in your area, a calendar, complete instructions and the FeederWatch annual report, “Winter Bird Highlights.” The participant fees help support this non-profit effort.
Regardless of whether you sign up, the Web site has plenty of free, helpful information, such as a “Tricky Bird ID” section, which helps you identify species that are confusingly similar—such as the house finch and purple finch and the black-capped chickadee and Carolina chickadee.