Ithaca, NY – The Cornell University Lab of Ornithology is seeking backyard birdwatchers to help with Project FeederWatch. The program, which launches its 24th season on Nov. 13, compiles information from birders to help Cornell scientists track patterns in bird populations around the country. The season ends April 8. “By engaging the public we are able to pick up...
View full sizeEvening Grosbeak.Ithaca, NY – The Cornell University Lab of Ornithology is seeking backyard birdwatchers to help with Project FeederWatch.
The program, which launches its 24th season on Nov. 13, compiles information from birders to help Cornell scientists track patterns in bird populations around the country. The season ends April 8.
“By engaging the public we are able to pick up fluctuations that could be the result of climate change, habitat destruction, disease or other environmental factors,” project leader David Bonter said. “These are large-scale changes that we would not be able to see without the massive amount of data we receive from our participants.”
Among the changes noted by project scientists are the declining numbers of the Evening Grosbeak, once one of the most common backyard birds, the expansion northward of the Northern Cardinal and Anna’s Hummingbird, and the invasion of the nonnative Eurasian Collared-Dove into North America, lab officials said.
It costs $15 to enroll in Project FeederWatch. Visit www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw or call the lab toll-free at (866) 989-2473 to learn more and to sign up.