Weekend Birding: Project FeederWatch
Next week begins the 25th season of the popular citizen science program known as Project Feeder Watch. Counting begins November 12th and continues through April 6th. There’s still plenty of time to sign up and new participants can come on board at any time during the count.
Who Can Participate?
Anyone in the US or Canada with an interest in birds! FeederWatch is conducted by people of all skill levels and backgrounds, including children, families, individuals, classrooms, retired persons, youth groups, nature centers, and bird clubs.
What will I need to do?
1. Put up a feeder.
2. Count the birds that visit.
3. Send your data to scientists.
Sign up for the Project FeederWatch program. There is a $15 fee which supports the program. Project participants receive a bird-identification poster, bird-feeding information, and instructional materials.
Why should I participate?
This is a great opportunity to learn more about winter birds. Plus you will contribute to the science and conservation of North American feeder birds. FeederWatch results are regularly published in scientific journals and are shared with ornithologists and bird lovers nationwide.
The more people watching, the more we can learn about the birds.
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I’ve been participating in the program for a few years now and have learned an amazing amount about bird behavior just from watching the feeders for an hour or two per week. A large time commitment is not necessary and counting is done on any two consecutive days in the week. The best time to see a lot of birds is about an hour after sunrise when they are hungry and most active.
Is anyone planning to participate?
Under My Apple Tree 
What a great project. I just bought a new, more expensive (supposedly “squirrel proof” feeder for winter…LOL
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I have been battling a brown squirrel for the last few days. I have two feeder poles and he has figured out that by climbing half way up one pole he can fly sideways to the second pole and land on top of the anti-climbing cone.
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I’ve never been able to figure out where to put a bird feeder where my pole-climbing cat can’t get to it. Songbirds are his favourite supplemental diet, to my chagrin.
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There are inverted cones that you can buy to put on the pole to keep animals from climbing. Here’s a picture of my feeders with the cones on the pole. However, that won’t stop your cat from sitting under the feeder and still attacking birds.
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I’ll have to see if my daughter’s interested in doing this with me. I think she’d love it. And I love watching the birds at our feeder.
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