February is National Birdfeeding Month. During the month, people “are encouraged to provide food, water, and shelter to help wild birds survive.”

One highlight of National Birdfeeding Month is The Great Backyard Bird Count, a “citizen science” project by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology that take place this year February 17-20.

“Bird enthusiasts of all ages can share their love of birds with a friend, a child, a scout troop, a class, or a co-worker-opening new eyes to the joy of birding and the fun of creating a unique snapshot of winter bird abundance and distribution across the continent. Every pair of eyes is needed and everybirdy counts, whether in a backyard, on a high-rise balcony, in a park, or on any of the 730 million acres of public lands.

In 2005, participants sent in more than 52,000 checklists, with a record-breaking 613 species and more than 6 million birds counted. These millions of sightings generate what would be impossible otherwise-continent-wide information about where the birds are and how their numbers compare with those of previous years. Anyone with Internet access can see the results in maps and charts as the sightings pour in” (Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology)

Personally, Jeannette and I participate by keeping track of the visitors to our yard in Pownal and the feeders here at the store, each day, and we also submit all of the birds seen on our store’s Saturday morning birdwalk that weekend. The Great Backyard Bird Count is a lot of fun, yet it provides a lot of great, and very useful data. You can generate maps and graphs using pervious year’s data via Cornell’s website.

When Jeannette and I decided to open up a Wild Bird Center store, we chose this franchise in part due to the amount of money and effort that they spend on research. A perfect example of this is the lead role that they have taken in a monumental research project: Project Wildbird.

“PROJECT WILDBIRD is a landmark study of seed and feeder preferences of wild birds in the United States and Canada. From September 2005 through August 2008, PROJECT WILDBIRD will scientifically study the feeds and feeders preferred by birds in different eco-regions and seasons. Upon completion, PROJECT WILDBIRD will be the most comprehensive study on bird feeding ever performed. The study results will provide people who feed birds with scientifically-substantiated recommendations on the best feeds and feeders to attract birds.” (Project Wildbird Website)

This is also a great opportunity to participate as a “Citizen Scientist” and help answer some big questions by observing birds in your own backyard. Currently, Project Wildbird is seeking participants in the “Observational Approach” methodology of the study. It doesn’t require a tremendous time commitment, but the data it provides will be invaluable to the research project.

Feel free to email me with any questions about any of these exciting “citizen science” opportunities!