FOR THE BIRDS: Perhaps this column will be preaching to the
choir but we must tell you about an article we received from
Project FeederWatch which says that bird watching isn’t just good
for the birds – but for people, too.

More than 100 studies have shown that getting closer to nature
reduces stress and promotes a feeling of well-being in children and
adults. So, filling feeders and counting the birds that visit may
be just what the doctor ordered!

For more than 20 years, that’s what participants in the Cornell
Lab of Ornithology’s Project FeederWatch have been doing –
benefiting themselves and the birds.

“It is a great winter time activity for the whole family,” says
Alaska FeederWatcher Nancy Darnell. “If you have children, they
will come to love watching the birds. All of this is fun and a
chance to contribute to scientific studies, too!”

The 2008-09 season of Project FeederWatch gets under way Nov. 8
and runs through April 3. Participants count the numbers and kinds
of birds at their feeders each week and send the information to the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Participants submitted more than 115,000 checklists during the
2007-08 FeederWatch season, documenting unusual bird sightings,
winter movements, and shifting ranges – a treasure-trove of
information that scientists use to monitor the health of the birds
and of the environment.

So how do you become involved?

Project FeederWatch welcomes participants of all ages and skill
levels, from scout troops and retirees to classrooms and nature
center visitors. To learn more and to sign up, visit www.feederwatch.org or call the
Lab toll-free at (800) 843-2473.

In return for a small fee, 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.

Scientists learn something new from the data each year, too,
whether it’s about the movements of common backyard birds or
unusual sightings of rarely-seen species.

Highlights of the most recent season include the largest
southward movement of Red-breasted Nuthatches in the history of the
project, part of an expected influx of northern birds that fly
farther south when their food supplies run short. Other northern
species showing up in record numbers included Common Repolls and
Pine Siskins.