Project FeederWatch is an important way for you to participate in an important citizen science project, and it will help to enhance your birding and bird feeding experiences this winter (photographs by Paul Konrad). Some birders are lucky enough to attract larger birds to their feeding stations, such as California Quail. Your bird lists will add to the information created for each state and provide insights into bird movements continent-wide. Check out the FeederWatch year-end reports – the Winter Bird Highlights for each FeederWatch season that interests you from 1988 to 2024.

Join the action as birders begin the 38th season of Project FeederWatch! It’s easy and it’s important, just identify and count the birds that visit your feeding station, or any other location you describe, beginning Friday November 1st. Many people across the United States and Canada have already signed up for this year’s FeederWatch season, but if you haven't signed up yet, there’s no time like the present. Each person’s bird lists add value as additional information that has fueled a variety of research studies about certain species, winter bird movements, and a variety of other subjects.

Project FeederWatch is a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada, and it is sponsored in the United States and Canada by Wild Birds Unlimited, and in Canada by Armstrong Bird Food. Birders from both nations can join today at Join, Renew, or Donate - FeederWatch and for everyone interested in birds, see the FeederWatch homepage at FeederWatch - Count Feeder Birds for Science

To learn more about Project FeederWatch and some of the information that has been produced over the years, see Explore - FeederWatch For example, after each season FeederWatch scientists merge all the information submitted via the internet and on paper data forms to create the Top 25 Feeder Birds list for each year. The data are summarized into 2 variables for each species: The percentage of sites visited, and the average group size. You can refer to the Top 25 Feeder Birds list starting in 1988-89 through 2023-24 at Top 25 Feeder Birds (feederwatch.org)

You can also see the Bird Summaries for each state and province by year at Project FeederWatch Reports by State and check out the Year-end Reports – the Winter Bird Highlights for each FeederWatch season that interests you at Year-end Reports - FeederWatch

An interesting insight into Project FeederWatch was produced from a recent podcast, when Joe Lamp’l of the Joe Gardener Show interviewed FeederWatch project leader Emma Greig. The show’s team produced an insightful webpage to accompany the podcast, which you can see at Count Birds with Project FeederWatch | joegardener®

Project FeederWatch runs from November 1 through April 30, and it’s a great way to add to your birding and bird feeding experiences this winter. Many students and school classes get involved in Project FeederWatch too. For more information, see FeederWatch - Count Feeder Birds for Science

Share your backyard birding experiences and photos with The Birding Wire at editorstbw2@gmail.com