Join the 37th Season of Project FeederWatch

Ithaca, NY—The prime directive for Project FeederWatch has been and continues to be gathering data about how bird populations and distributions are changing across the United States and Canada—vital information for conservation. For the 37th season of this project, participants can enter some brand-new kinds of data—and finally get a chance to tell tales about squirrels, deer, raccoons, bears, or other mammals they see at their count sites in winter—in addition to the birds.
 

The FeederWatch season takes place November 1, 2023, through April 30, 2024.

 
In addition to the mammal sightings, FeederWatch is also asking for reports of sick birds and for information about how watching birds impacts people’s sense of well-being.
 
“We are trying to accomplish several things with these new data,” said the Cornell Lab’s project leader Emma Greig. “How do feeder cleaning methods impact the number of sick birds at people’s feeders? If participants see sick birds, how does that change what people do next? We are also trying to understand if seeing squirrels, deer, or other mammals affects human behavior or changes the way people feel about offering supplementary food to birds.”  

FeederWatchers make periodic two-day counts at their designated watch site(s) from November through April, spending as much or as little time as they wish. Even counting birds once or twice all season has value. No feeder necessary, either. If special plantings or a water feature are part of the count site, birds attracted to these items can also be reported to FeederWatch.

“FeederWatch has been used for so many bird population and behavior studies over the years,” said Greig. “Recently, data from FeederWatchers are also helping scientists understand large scale climate fluctuations across the continent and the impact climate change is having on birds.” 

Project FeederWatch is a joint research and education project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada. Sign up or renew online to join the record-high contingent of FeederWatch participants from both the United State and Canada at FeederWatch.org. The participation fee is $18 in the U.S. or a donation of any amount in Canada.