Looking for an interesting and meaningful project this winter?

Check out Project FeederWatch, a citizen-science initiative of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada. Volunteers across North American help to conduct  a census of North American birds  from Nov. 9 through April 3 by crowd sourcing data.  You select an area to monitor-the space around the bird feeder in your back yard for example.  You count the birds you see and record the number and species of birds online. The study recommends that you monitor for two consecutive days a week,.  But if you have travel planned for the holidays, it is OK if you miss a few weeks or a month. At the end of the census season, scientists aggregate the data.

Data provides information on changing bird populations.  A new study shows that nearly three billion North American birds have been lost since 1970, many of them once-common backyard birds.  Data collected through Project FeederWatch provides information on the effects of changing climate and environment on bird populations.

Click her to get Project FeederWatch information