Be a Citizen Scientist with Project Feederwatch

Posted on October 27, 2021 by James Pugh

Love birds? Want to help scientists better understand their migrations? Be a citizen scientist with Project Feederwatch! Project Feederwatch will begin November 13 at the Anderson Main and Pendleton libraries.

To participate, visit the children’s area at either library any time Fridays and Saturdays November 13 through April 30. If you see any birds at the bird feeders, identify them with our aids or the Merlin app, then write down your findings.

At the end of each week, library staff will report your sightings to Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology. That data tell scientists about changes in bird abundance and distribution across the United States and Canada, like where birds are and where they are not. This crucial information enables scientists to piece together accurate population maps and identify species that might be at risk.

This will be the second year the Library System participates in Project Feederwatch. For the 2020-21 season, only the Anderson Main Library was an observation site. During that time, library patrons and visitors observed 231 individual birds and identified 22 different species. This year, the Library System is expanding to have two observation sites: at the Pendleton Library and again at the Anderson Main Library.

Patrons can also explore great collections of picture books or nonfiction books for children and adults about birds, nature, backyard gardens, ornithology and more. For those who want even more educational activities to do at home, Cornell Lab provides free K-12 resources online.