What is it?
Project FeederWatch is a great way to connect to nature during the cold, rainy winter without having to leave the comfort of your home. This is a citizen-science project, where you will be volunteering with thousands of other people all over the continent to monitor over 100 different bird species that spend their winters in North America.
The data you report to FeederWatch tells researchers where birds are as well as where they are not. This information enables scientists to piece together accurate population maps, and it helps them determine when species are at risk.
How to Participate:
You don’t even need a feeder to participate in this project, all you need is a place with plants, shelter, water or food that attracts birds. The schedule is also designed to be flexible to your own schedule. You get to choose how long you want to count birds and how many days you want to count for.
The cost to participate is $18; however, the Center for Service-Learning is covering all costs for students. Once you sign up, we will register you for the project and send you a follow-up email with instructions on how to get started. Because the associated costs for this project are being sponsored by the Center for Service-Learning, you will need to commit to submitting data at least two times a month from December to April.
During your participation, you will also be required to submit a photograph to the participant map OR the Wild Birds Unlimited BirdSpotter Photo Contest. The number of service-learning hours you will receive is determined by how much time you spend counting and reporting data to FeederWatch. Final project submissions with your completed project counts and photograph(s) will be due no later than March 12, 2021, by 11:59 pm.
Please view the presentation below to view the required project forms and further instructions.
Get Engaged!
- Follow along with our new YouTube playlist for more information on Project FeederWatch
- Follow Project FeederWatch on Facebook to engage with their interactive content
- Participate in the Wild Birds Unlimited BirdSpotter Photo Contest
Attention Birders and FeederWatchers
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is calling on you to help protect our backyard birds by reducing the risk and spread of diseases! This winter is especially important as we experience an irruption of pine siskins and finches who are susceptible to contracting salmonellosis, a common and usually fatal bird disease caused by the salmonella bacteria. The best way you can prevent the spread of salmonellosis is by removing your bird feeders from your backyard and encouraging the birds to forage naturally off native vegetation. If you’re still interested in keeping your feeders up as you participate in Project FeederWatch, we just ask that you take extra precautions to keep your feeders clean by first rinsing the feeder well with warm soapy water, then dunking in a solution of nine parts water and one part bleach. Then, finish by rinsing and fully drying before refilling and setting back up. For more information, please check out the WDFW article found here. Thank you for helping care for our backyard birds!
Additional Opportunity for Birders
Each February, for four days, the whole world comes together for the love of birds. Over these four days people are invited to spend time in their favorite places watching and counting as many birds as they can find and reporting them to eBird which is managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations.
There are three different ways to share your birds, and each of them require using
your same Cornell Lab of Ornithology account that you use to report for Project FeederWatch!
You can report by identifying birds with the Merlin Bird ID mobile app and adding
sightings to your list, by using the eBird mobile app, or by entering your bird list
on the eBird website using a computer. Even the counts you share with Project FeederWatch
can be used to count birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count! For more information,
please visit birdcount.org.
Also, don't miss the Great Backyard Bird Count's instructional webinar!
February 9th 12-1 pm EST (9-10 am PST)
Contact hayley.johnson@email.edcc.edu for the registration link.