Fellow Bird Watchers: It's Time For Project FeederWatch

Welcome back.  Once again, it's the time of the year to switch my focus from gardening to bird watching. One of the most enjoyable and important bird watching activities is about to begin: Project FeederWatch.

I introduced my readers to this worthwhile research project this Spring;  however it was at the tail end of the project.  This time you will have plenty of time to join and participate.

To help you get started, I have provided the following video.




Below are some more detailed instructions:

1. Sign up – If you have not yet signed up, join today! During the season, it takes a few weeks from when you sign up for your kit to arrive with your ID number and for your ID number to be activated in Your Data.
2. Select your count site – Choose a portion of your yard that is easy to monitor, typically an area with feeders that is visible from one vantage point.
3. Choose your count days – Select two consecutive days as often as once a week (less often is fine). Leave at least five days when you do not count between each of your two-day counts.
4. How to count – Watch your feeders as much or a little as you want over your selected count days. Record the maximum number of each species visible at any one time during your two-day count. Do not add your counts together!
5. What to count – Please count
• all of the individuals of each species in view at any one time
• birds attracted to food or water you provided
• birds attracted to fruits or ornamental plantings
• hawks and other predatory birds that are attracted by the birds at your feeders

The benefits of this project are summed up as follows at http://feederwatch.org:

WHY ARE FEEDERWATCH DATA IMPORTANT?

"With each season, FeederWatch increases in importance as a unique monitoring tool for more than 100 bird species that winter in North America.

What sets FeederWatch apart from other monitoring programs is the detailed picture that FeederWatch data provide about weekly changes in bird distribution and abundance across the United States and Canada. Importantly, FeederWatch data tell us where birds are as well as where they are not. This crucial information enables scientists to piece together the most accurate population maps.

Because FeederWatchers count the number of individuals of each species they see several times throughout the winter, FeederWatch data are extremely powerful for detecting and explaining gradual changes in the wintering ranges of many species. In short, FeederWatch data are important because they provide information about bird population biology that cannot be detected by any other available method."

So fill up your feeders and dust off the binoculars.  It's a great opportunity for your family to spend quality time together during the winter months.

 Until next time.