Would you like your enjoyment of bird watching to make a difference? There are a number of citizen science projects that you can participate in that will help scientists track changes in the numbers and distribution of birds across the continent. Here are a few to check out… Project Feeder Watch begins November 10th and runs 21 weeks through the first Friday of April. It is conducted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Anyone with an interest in birds and nature can participate in the project. It is as easy as putting up a feeder, counting birds that come, and sending your data to scientists.

Audubon Christmas Count This is the longest running citizen science survey in the world. It is a project of the National Audubon Society in its 113th season. This is a one-day event held between December 14th and January 5th each year. Contact your local Audubon chapter for the specific dates and times the count will be held in your area. You can enter data from your bird sightings at home or on the road anytime of the year by going to ebird.org. This site is a joint effort by Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. It contains a lot of information about bird distributions and numbers. I highly recommend searching this site for valuable information.