BIRD HELP: If you’ve watched birds at a feeder over the years,
you’ve surely seen changes – varying numbers of different birds
through the seasons and the years.
Do some of the long-term shifts reflect changes in the
environment, including global climate change? The Cornell Lab of
Ornithology’s Project FeederWatch is seeking help from bird
watchers to help answer that question.
FeederWatchers count the birds at their feeders each week and
send the information to the Lab of Ornithology.
They’ve helped document unusual bird sightings, winter
movements, and shifting ranges of some bird species over the past
20 years. To see the effects of global climate change, scientists
say they need new and veteran participants alike to keep counting
birds now and well into the future.
“Being a FeederWatcher is easy and fun, and at the same helps
generate the world’s largest database on feeder-bird populations,”
says project leader David Bonter. “Since we started in 1987, nearly
40,000 people have submitted observations, adding up to well over
1.5 million checklists.”
Some of the most dramatic changes revealed by data collected
during two decades of Project FeederWatch may be related to changes
in climate.
“We’re seeing hummingbirds turning up much farther north than
usual during the winter,” says Bonter. “Warblers and other
insect-eaters are also lingering longer into the northern winter,
possibly because of warmer temperatures. Bird count data gathered
in the coming years will really help us focus on these trends and
what might be causing them.”
Recent mild winter conditions may be contributing to the
northward range movements of several nonmigratory species. The
Carolina Wren, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal, and
Tufted Titmouse have all expanded their ranges several hundred
miles to the north in recent decades.
Project FeederWatch data also show drastic declines in Evening
Grosbeaks across the continent, but woodpeckers of all kinds are
increasing across the northeastern quadrant of the continent.
The 21st season of Project FeederWatch gets under way Nov. 10
and runs through April 4. All ages and skill levels are
welcome.
To learn more about Project FeederWatch or to register, visit
www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw or call the Lab toll-free at (800)
843-2473. In return for the ,15 fee (,12 for Lab members)
participants receive the FeederWatcher’s Handbook, an
identification poster of the most common feeder birds in their
area, a calendar, complete instructions, and the FeederWatch annual
report, Winter Bird Highlights.
