Project Feederwatch

Have you ever wondered how your backyard bird feeder could help scientists track bird populations across North America?

Project FeederWatch, which runs from November 1st until April 30th, lets YOU turn your bird-watching into real scientific data that makes a difference.

Project FeederWatch is a community science project run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada.

Each winter, thousands of bird lovers, from beginners to experts, count the birds that visit their feeders, record their data and share it with these organizations.

It’s one of the easiest and most rewarding ways to help track bird populations and understand how our feathered friends are changing over time.

Project FeederWatch has been running for over 35 years, and when you participate, you’re not just watching birds for fun, you’re helping scientists study things like:

• How bird populations are shifting with weather and climate
• Which species are thriving or declining
• And how diseases or habitat changes affect common backyard birds

and the data collected has also helped scientists document things such as:

• The northward spread of species like the Northern Cardinal
• As well as the Declines in Evening Grosbeaks and other finches

This kind of long-term data simply wouldn’t exist without the help of thousands of volunteers. 

So how do you join Project FeederWatch and what’s involved?

Step 1: First you will want to Go to FeederWatch.org and click “Join.”
There’s a small annual fee of $18 that helps support research and gives you access to all their tools and resources, including an app that makes it super easy to record and submit your sightings.

Step 2: Have a bird feeding station or set one up. This could be a few feeders, a birdbath, or even scattered seed on the ground. You can make this station as simple or complex as you want, with either just black oil sunflower seeds, which is the favorite food for most of the species that may visit or offer a huge buffet of sunflower, safflower, peanuts, suet and nyjer seeds, which are great if you want finches!

Step 3: Pick two consecutive days every week from November through April to watch and count the birds that visit.

Step 4: Submit your counts online or through the FeederWatch app -and that’s it!

Even if you only watch occasionally, every count adds valuable information.

So, you’ve joined Project FeederWatch, you’ve set up your feeders, filled them with seed, and you’re ready to start counting.

But wait… how do you actually count birds correctly for science?
And how do you document all those fun bird behaviors you’re seeing?

So let’s go step-by-step through submitting your count data

Before your first count, you’ll define your count site, that’s the specific area where you’ll watch birds throughout the season.

It could be your backyard, balcony, or community garden, as long as it’s the same spot every time.

Project FeederWatch is all about consistency, so stick to that same area for every count, even if you move your feeders around a little.

Project feederwatch will then guide you step by step to get information about your current setup, including what the habitat is like, how many feeders you have and so on.

After your count site is set up, you’ll choose two consecutive days every week between November and April to watch your feeders.

That means if you start on a Saturday, you’ll also count on Sunday, then wait until the next week to do it again.

You can count as often or as rarely as you like, even once a month helps!
Just make sure those count days are back-to-back, and note the hours you were watching.

Now for the fun part — the counting!

Here’s the key:

• You don’t add up every bird you see all day.
  Instead, you record the highest number of each species you see at one time during your count period.

Let’s say you see:

• 3 chickadees at once in the morning,
• then 2 in the afternoon.
  You’ll record 3 as your final number, because that’s the maximum seen together.

That helps prevent counting the same bird twice as it flies in and out.

Do this for each species you see — cardinals, juncos, goldfinches, etc.

Use this same counting strategy even for birds where you can tell males and females apart, since changing how you count these ones can mess with the data being collected 

For example, if you see two female cardinals at once, and later see one male, only count the time you saw the two at once.

Now, beyond just numbers, Project FeederWatch also cares about behavior!

As you watch, keep notes on things like:

• Feeding behavior: Which foods do they prefer? Are they cracking seeds, grabbing and flying off, or clinging to suet?
• Interactions: Are birds chasing each other away, or peacefully sharing?
• Species dominance: Notice who’s boss at the feeder, for example, that Blue Jay might scare off smaller finches.

These observations help scientists understand competition, hierarchy, and adaptation in bird communities.

When your 2-day count is done, head to FeederWatch.org or use the FeederWatch app to enter your data.

You’ll log:

• Your location and weather
• The highest count for each species including mammals like squirrels, cats etc
• Any signs of diseases?
• And any interesting behaviors you noticed

Here are a few quick tips to make your counts easier and more accurate:

• Watch during your most active feeder times, usually early morning and late afternoon.
• Keep a notebook or your phone handy to jot quick notes or tallies.
• Don’t click submit until the end of your second day count period.
• Take pictures if you’re unsure of a species, it’s better to double-check than guess.
• And remember: every observation, even if you saw no birds at all, still gives scientists valuable information.

And that’s it! You’re officially ready to count birds like a pro for Project FeederWatch.

Every number you report helps scientists track bird populations, migration changes, and the effects of climate and habitat shifts.

So grab your coffee, your field guide, and your phone because this winter, your backyard is part of a nationwide bird lab!

Happy counting — and may your feeders be busy this winter!