Project FeederWatch turns your love of feeding birds into scientific discoveries. FeederWatch is a November-April survey of birds that visit backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. You don’t even need a feeder! All you need is an area with plantings, habitat, water or food that attracts birds. The schedule is completely flexible. Count your birds for as long as you like on days of your choosing, then enter your counts online. Your counts allow you to track what is happening to birds around your home and contribute to a continental data-set of bird distribution and abundance. With FeederWatch, your ions become part of something bigger than your backyard. Click here to join.
We will send you everything else you need to get started identifying birds. New participants receive a Research Kit with instructions for participating, as well as a bird identification poster, a calendar, and more. Each fall participants receive our 16-page, year-end report, Winter Bird Highlights. Participants also receive access to the digital version of Living Bird, the Cornell Lab’s award-winning, quarterly magazine.
Project FeederWatch is supported almost entirely by its participants. The annual participation fee is $18 for U.S. residents ($15 for Cornell Lab members). Canadians can participate by donating any amount to Birds Canada. These contributions cover materials, staff support, web design, data analysis, and the year-end report (Winter Bird Highlights). Without the support of our participants, this project wouldn’t be possible.
Count up to 4 hours/week and report hours at:
FR:Bird Populations:TMN Field Research Hours.